MasterChef South Africa contestant Shannon Smuts – founder of Pure Good, a catering business that dishes up affordable, deliciously wholesome and ethically produced meals to working professionals in Cape Town – will be hosting a Capsicum masterclass for foodies next month.

Says Smuts: “Food is almost an emotion – you share it with people, you celebrate with it, you learn with it. Nothing beats breaking bread with someone new and wonderful, in a new land, a new home or sharing a new experience.”

Top to Tail Cooking with Shannon Smuts is just one of a series of masterclasses, for both enthusiastic and amateur home cooks who want to expand their repertoire, hosted by Cape Town’s Capsicum Culinary Studio – part of the largest chef school of its kind in Southern Africa.

The Smuts’ class takes place onThursday, October 3, from 18h00 to 20h00 at the school’s campus which is located on 6th Floor, Rex Trueform Office Park, 263 Victoria Rd, Salt River.

Here Smuts answers a few questions about what participants can expect:

Give us a short background about yourself:

I’m a 35-year-old entrepreneur with a passion for making healthy, ethical food accessible to all. After appearing in the second season of MasterChef South Africa, I took this passion and turned it into a career by starting my brand Pure Good Food. We serve up healthy, ethically sourced and affordable meals to working professionals across Cape Town and we support small scale organic community farmers and focus on upliftment and empowerment through skills development in our kitchens. 

Tell us what you will be teaching participants in your masterclass?

This masterclass will focus on how to utilise vegetables from root to shoot, eliminating food waste and introducing fun and innovative ways to use your produce at home. Each attendee receives a bag of organic veg from the Umthunzi Farming Community to take home. A hands-on demo on how to make our famous carrot and ginger soup – while enjoying a bowl of the dish at the same time – followed by two interactive sessions that will show attendees how to make curried sauerkraut and carrot top pesto, both of which they get to bottle and take home to enjoy.

Why would you encourage people to attend and what do you think people will get out of the class?

Not only will they learn some valuable tips on how to eat more sustainably, enjoy a delicious soup and a fun cooking class, but also get to take home a feast of produce and, in turn, support the Umthunzi Farming community, thereby helping a network of small-scale farmers to uplift themselves and their communities.

Says Cape Town principal Lianne Holt: “Our masterclass for foodies will allow cooking enthusiasts the chance to cook and bake with celebrated chefs who have made a name for themselves with their unique culinary art.”

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