Over September & October, five of Gateway’s most popular restaurants have seen ten of the country’s top celebrities face off against each other in the 2015 edition of the Celebrity Chef Showdown. Celebs wowed patrons with their culinary skills and competitive spirit all in an attempt to get ahead of their opponents and win their event to secure a place in the final. The five restaurants included RJ’s Steakhouse; Ebb & Flo; Circus Circus; Mo-zam-bik and Galaxy Grill. The winning celebrity from each prelim event then had the chance to battle it out in the grand finale, which took place at Gateway’s fine dining restaurant, Beluga.
The star studded lineup included, popular soccer player and model Ryan Botha; winner of Masterchef South Africa season 3, Roxi Wardman; East Coast Radio breakfast show host, Darren Maule; Radio personality, writer and comic sensation Beauty Ramapelepele played by Ben Voss and East Coast Radio presenter, Zaba Simbine;
The celebs worked long and hard in Beluga’s kitchen putting together their three course meals in the hope that it would earn them top scores from their toughest critics – the restaurant patrons. Their efforts paid off as they all received high praise for the scrumptious meals they presented. The mouth watering menus included deconstructed lamb shoulder; wild mushroom gnocchi; deboned beef ribs and chicken roulade – to name a few. Once all the scores were tallied, television and radio personality Terence Pillay, who was also emcee for the night, announced the winner. East Coast Radio’s Darren Maule clinched the title of Gateway’s Ultimate Celebrity Chef by a narrow margin and not only walks away with the title, but also receives a trip for two, for two nights to the Endless Vineyards Boutique Lodge on the Wildekrans Wine Estate in Cape Town as well as flights courtesy of One Stop Travel and Tours.
Gateway will donate a 10% of the income generated from each of the evenings to Darren’s charity of choice, Nkosi’s Haven. This NGO offers holistic care and support for destitute HIV/AIDS infected mothers, her children, and resulting AIDS orphans (infected or not).
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