Seth Shezi, recognised as SA’s best-dressed man in 2018, is ready to pioneer a new concept in the culinary scene called the “fashionable foodie”.
The KwaZulu-Natal-born is the recent winner of Season 6 of Celebrity MasterChef South Africa, and much like seven years ago when he was announced as the best-dressed man, Shezi is more than convinced that the coveted title means he’s “walking into the next phase” of his career.
He emerged victorious after competing against media personality Dineo Ranaka in an intense cook-off during the cooking show’s finale last Saturday.
Shezi, 39, also flexed his culinary skills against singer Holly Rey and fashion designer Mzukisi Mbane, who came third and fourth respectively. He also walked away with the R1m grand prize with 500,000 as well as R20,000 to be donated to his charity, Ladies of Love, an NGO that serves healthy meals to thousands of displaced and destitute South Africans.
“The person who is surprised by the whole win is actually me. Part of what I do is work with top-end restaurants and I was somewhat insecure to take part. I said “no” three times before I finally joined the show this season. I felt I wasn’t ready and didn’t cut it to be called a ‘chef’”, said the Cape Town-based creative.
“But funny enough, every single person has come to me and told me ‘I knew you were going to win’. This type of confidence in me woke me up from my potential.
“Hearing my name being called out as the winner was such an out-of-body experience because the competition was intense. You’re woken up super early and you’re filming the whole day while making a meal under pressure. So, when I got to the finale, I was so exhausted, I was happy with any name that was going to be called out, mine or Dineo’s.”
The six-part cooking show saw Shezi take part in weeks of intense culinary battles where he and an array of celebrities were tested to reimagine and capture dishes to impress the show’s judges.
“Dineo is incredibly competitive. She worked so hard, she even made me bring my A-Game and I thank her for that. I saw that she was willing to go the whole mile, and I thought I should too.
“Competing brought a bit of escapism and didn’t care much about my public image because I wanted to push myself beyond the luxury brand that I’m known for. I wanted to be myself and be real when taking on those dishes we were raked to make.”
As the victor and the new year seemingly off to a great start for the style icon, Shezi told Sowetan SMag that he hopes to amalgamate his fashion taste with the culinary skills he acquired from sharing the kitchen with renowned Michigan chefs.
“Introspectively, just as I received the fashion award many years ago, getting this major nod in the food industry means I belong here
— Seth Shezi
“This moment reminds me of 2018 when I just started as a stylist in the fashion industry, I wasn’t fully convinced that I had what it took until it was recognised by a publication. I’ve had the same sentiments with food,” he said. “I’ve always been uncertain even though I get to judge all these food awards but when it comes to chefs and knowing how much more talented they are, I knew I had to be tentative about this space.
“Introspectively, just as I received the fashion award many years ago, getting this major nod in the food industry means I belong here.”
Shezi's plans for the year include working with chefs across the world and SA through charity dinners and cook-offs.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.