MASTERCHEF SA judge Pete Goffe- Wood hopes to soon be helping Nelson Mandela Bay residents cook up a culinary storm.
Goffe-Wood, who runs the Kitchen Cowboys culinary school in Cape Town, was in the Bay at the weekend and said he was in the process of organising cooking workshops which he hoped to bring to Port Elizabeth in the new year.
Cooking classes and workshops, were very popular in the Mother City, he said, and he looked forward to bringing the concept to Nelson Mandela Bay.
"We run Kitchen Cowboys in a converted warehouse in Woodstock and it has been really great, especially for corporate events and team-building. We are working with Algoa FM in order to bring it to Port Elizabeth," he said.
Goffe-Wood, who was born in London and has been a professional chef for the past 26 years, said although it was only his second visit to Port Elizabeth, he loved "the seaside town because it has a very nice charm".
He was also looking forward to seeing M-Net's Masterchef SA receive the green light for a second season.
"We anticipated the show would be popular but we were a little unprepared for how big it actually became. The response and feedback we received were unbelievable and a little overwhelming, and based on that, there is no way there can't be a second season."
Being a judge was every bit as glamorous as it looked, he said. "I sit back and taste amazing food all day long. It is a fabulous job."
Goffe-Wood said season one winner Deena Naidoo had been a force to be reckoned with from very early on in the show.
"I thought he was magnificent. His first dish of butter chicken was outstanding but later on we started to wonder if he could only do great curries.
"But he really proved himself to be a level-headed chef. For me the proof is in the pudding and I believe in great taste, first and foremost."
A highlight on the show was when internationally renowned Michelin two-star chef Michel Roux jnr made a special guest appearance.
"I have met him before but to watch him on the show and see how he presented himself and moved around the kitchen was truly inspiring. Everyone was in awe."
Goffe-Wood, who has worked all over the world, said he was also looking forward to the release of his second book next year, possibly in May or June. The book, entitled Over the Coals, would be about outdoor cooking.
