First preliminary competition of Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off held in Swakopmund
The 2021 Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off Competition which was launched on 7 May, held its first preliminary round in Swakopmund on Saturday, 29 May.
Under the beautiful, sunny weather at the coastal town of Swakopmund, 51 contestants gathered to partake and compete in the Nedbank Namibia Kapana Cook-off competition. The participants, who were mostly first timers to take part in this competition, were all residents of the coastal towns of Swakopmund and Walvisbay.
The event started off with the organizers making sure that the venue and all logistics were in order for the cook-off competition. The first round started with a five minutes salsa preparation competition by each contestant. This was a fun part, although most of the participants stated the cutting of the onions as the most challenging part. The judges had a difficult task to choose the top 10 from the 51 participants, as all salsas were remarkably exceptional.
From the 51 contestants, 10 were chosen to take part in the meat braai round where their dishes were judged by chefs from the Namibian Chefs Association, based on hygiene, presentation and taste. From the 10 participants, Liina Iipinge, Asnath Vetamunisa, and Laura Egumbo were declared winners and finalist of the coastal round after their kapana dishes swooped the judges off of their feet with their immaculate presentation and taste.
One of the finalist, Liina Iipinge, said that the competition was tough as they were only given 30 minutes to prepare their dish and present it to the judges. “I am glad that I was one of the winners from the preliminary rounds. One thing I will do different at the finals is pay attention to the time and make sure I work within the time given without panicking,” she said.
The next preliminary rounds will be held in the North on Saturday, 26 June.
Entries are now open and entry forms are available at all Nedbank Namibia branches country-wide as well as on the Nedbank Namibia website. Namibians from across the country are encouraged to enter the competition as the winner of the Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off will walk away with prizes amounting to N$ 100 000 which include a fully furnished mobile food trailer.
The Nedbank Kapana Cook-off is co-sponsored by Bakpro.
Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off Competition, Coastal Round Winners, (from left) Liina Iipinge, Laura Egumbo, and Asnath Vetamunisa.
