Cosmo City resident awarded culinary bursary in a dream come true
Cosmo City resident Petunia Thebe could not believe her good fortune when she heard that she had been awarded a bursary from Capsicum Culinary Studio, South Africa’s leading culinary school
To celebrate its 21st anniversary last year, Capsicum pledged to give away bursaries to the winners of its Culinaire Challenge competition, and it has done just that with bursaries awarded to 20 aspiring chefs who took part in the contest’s cook-offs which were recently held at each of the school’s seven campuses across the country.
Thebe – who has always been an entrepreneur – already runs her own bakery and restaurant specialising in traditional African dishes.
“In 2023 we established Cosmo Dumpling, a restaurant and bakery situated at Jackal Creek Corner in Northriding. It is an African restaurant where we pair steamed dumplings with what is on the menu that day such as ox head, ox liver, cowheels, chicken, mala and mohodu (also known as tripe and beef stew). We make the dumplings in different flavours – carrot, sweetcorn, wholewheat, parsley, olives and gluten-free. Our target market is caterers, restaurants, chefs, hotels, schools, hospital and airlines and we also do outside catering.”
The 46-year-old will be studying the Professional Patisserie Programme at Capsicum’s newly opened Ruimsig campus and said the bursary was a dream come true for her.
“I believe that my stars are fully aligned and that I am coming full circle. I come from an orthodox family which values qualifications. I cannot wait to be taught by experts and what excites me most is that I will be a qualified chef at the end of the year as at the moment I am a self-taught cook. It proves that is never too late to fulfil your dreams and I believe that this will take my business to new heights.”
Thebe answered a few questions:
When and how did your interest in food and cooking start?
I was seven years old and I vividly remember my grandmother allowing me to cook for the family since she saw that I had passion for cooking. That day I cooked pap, onion and tomato relish and everyone was blown away by the taste. Ever since then, I have always enjoyed the kitchen space.
Why do you think Capsicum chose you as one of the bursary recipients?
I have been baking bread for the longest time but I challenged myself with the cake I baked in the cook-off and it turned out perfectly. Moreover we were judged on cleanliness so my station was super clean.
Who are your role models and mentors and why?
I look up to many people in the culinary space both locally and internationally. I always liked Chef Lentswe Bhengu as he was very authentic and kind. Siba Mtongana has inspired me to be the best cook I can be. Internationally, I admire Gordon Ramsay as he is fierce and takes his duties seriously. The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) is proof that everything is possible if you put your mind to it.
What would you like to be doing in five years’ time?
I would like to establish my bakery nationally and franchise my restaurant.
Name five things always in your fridge or pantry
Cheese, potatoes, spinach, fresh cream and homemade mascarpone cheese
What would be your last meal?
Basmati rice and prawn curry
What do you not eat?
Eggs and milk
Favourite celebrity cook and why?
Always less is more so I like The Lazy Makoti (Mogau Seshone) as she keeps her menu simple and very tasty.
Petunia Thebe’s Malva Pudding with Cream Sauce
Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 tbs butter
½ cup milk
2 tbs apricot jam
2 tsp vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. In a bowl add sugar, jam, melted butter, eggs, vinegar, vanilla essence and mix together until smooth, then sift in the flour, bicarb and
salt and mix. Pour in the milk and mix until smooth. Let it rest for 10min while you grease
the pan. Pour mixture into loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown
For the Cream Sauce
1 cup fresh cream
⅓ cup hot water
½ cup sugar
2 tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
Method
Add fresh cream, hot water, sugar, butter, vanilla to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Once the Malva pudding is ready pour the sauce over while is still hot and serve with custard or ice cream.
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Issued by JAG Communications on behalf of Capsicum Culinary Studio. For more information contact Janine Walker on janine@jagcomms.org or Grant Bushby at grant@jagcomms.org