Why South African MasterChef star Lorna Maseko's a chef on a mission

The award-winning chef tells loveFOOD how she’s getting South Africa recognised as a culinary destination, what it was really like taking part in Celebrity MasterChef and how she’s helping women find their inner power through cooking.

Known by many as South Africa’s ‘culinary princess’, award-winning chef Lorna Maseko is one of the country’s most recognised celebrities, and it’s easy to see why. With a thriving YouTube channel (Lorna With a Pinch of Salt has 11.5K subscribers), quarterly cooking workshops and successful cookbook Celebrate with Lorna Maseko under her belt, she’s also a sought-after TV presenter, regular at events like Taste of London, and was a contestant on popular show Celebrity MasterChef South Africa. Her talent and reputation know no bounds.

Maseko, who grew up in the township of Alexandra, is now using her influence to showcase South Africa “as the beautiful place that it is,” she says. “I’m lucky enough to travel around the world and every time I tell someone I’m from South Africa they go, ‘I’ve always wanted to go’, which is a great thing. I just want to showcase it as the gem that it is.”

As part of her mission, Maseko has worked with BBC Lifestyle to create a TV show that puts South Africa on the culinary global stage. Homegrown Tastes South Africa, which premiered earlier this year, follows Maseko on a culinary expedition across South Africa, where she samples various traditional dishes and meets the people who work in the vital cogs of the food system.

“A lot of the time, we shove food into our faces, but we don’t know where it comes from or who worked on these ingredients. So, we’ve shown South Africa’s food in a 360-degree way, from hearing the challenges the farmers face when they’re farming different ingredients to how these goods are exported to different parts of the world,” she explains.

“It also shows how those ingredients are translated when they get into a restaurant and how different chefs bring those flavours into their kitchens for guests – it’s the whole process of how food is made, not just the glamourous bits. I wanted to make people think about the food they eat and where it comes from, as well as showcase some of South Africa’s amazing restaurants.”

Maseko has also partnered with South African Tourism on a new campaign to get more Londoners visiting South Africa – “which I’m super excited about,” she says – and has a new show coming out, Celebrating with Lorna, on Recipe.tv in the US. It’s busy work, but I can tell Maseko wouldn’t have it any other way.

Lorna Maseko BBC Lifestyle programme/Photography by Sean Brand

Credit: Sean Brand

South African cuisine and what sets it apart

A key part of raising South Africa’s reputation in the food world is getting people to understand what the cuisine is truly about. “South African food hits real deep and reminds you of home – that’s what best describes our dishes. It’s simple food that tastes amazing and people need to know about it,” says Maseko.

“It’s hearty too. Our diet consists of things like stew, pap [a kind of porridge made from maize meal that can be cooked to be runny, soft or stiff], amadumbe [a root vegetable commonly known as taro] and tripe [the edible muscle lining from the stomach of farm animals], which should be cooked low and slow.”

Her eyes especially light up when she tells me about shisanyama, which means ‘burnt meat’. “We’re a nation that loves meat, that’s for sure. It’s essentially like barbecue food,” she says. “We eat it all the time, especially in a German-style sausage – but it’s more like chorizo and not cured.”

These flavours and ingredients are the stars of the show in South Africa, which is why Maseko wants people around the world to discover them for themselves. “I love the idea of travelling and trying new foods, and then coming home and being inspired to create something similar to a dish I had when I was away, but making it more quintessentially home cooked,” she says.

“So, it almost tastes restaurant-like but it can be done easily at home. That’s my cooking style, that’s what I’m about. I love translating food in an entertaining way and that’s why I started my YouTube channel. It’s an accessible way for people to see my work, learn about different ingredients and then try them for themselves.”

Credit: Sean Brand

The truth about her Celebrity MasterChef South Africa experience

In 2015, Maseko competed in Celebrity MasterChef South Africa and placed sixth in the competition – before this she had been working in television, which mainly involved presenting and producing. It’s her experience on the show which set Maseko on her culinary journey.

“There was something therapeutic about Celebrity MasterChef South Africa, even though I was in a difficult competition. I really enjoyed the experience and it made me realise that this is what I wanted to do, to be a chef. It ignited my passion for food,” she explains.

“Coming from a ballet background [dance was Maseko’s primary profession in her early years, and she was even named South Africa’s premiere black female ballet dancer], I’m an extremely competitive person, and the perseverance I learned from that time in my life helped me through the competition – and throughout my entire career to be honest. As a ballet dancer, you strive for perfection every day.”

Maseko candidly explains that the show also helped to change her own relationship with food for the better, which as a professional ballet dancer had sometimes been difficult.

“Ballet dancers can have warped ideas about food and, you know, this can lead to eating disorders. When I was dancing, I barely ate much, and now I say I’m making up for all the days that I couldn’t eat back then,” she explains.

“The show just ignited in me a love for what food is able to do. It just sparked something that was beautiful about it, and the journey began there. It’s been a lot of hard work – a rollercoaster really – but an enjoyable one.”

Meeting some of the leading names in the field was another key highlight for Maseko, admitting that at times she did get a little star struck. “To meet Michelin star chefs was like meeting rock stars. It was unbelievable.”

Lorna Maseko cooking workshops for women/Photography by Sean Brand Credit: Sean Brand

Helping to empower women through cooking

As a female chef in a male-dominated industry, Maseko is also using her influence to help empower women through cooking. She hosts quarterly interactive cooking seminars, Cooking with Lorna and Friends, which portray the beauty of cooking for South African women beyond the ordinary cliches.

During it, she shows off the season’s top trends and serves up African-inspired dishes, while providing a platform for like-minded women to connect. “For me, cooking has never felt like a chore, and I say this lightly because for many women it is – they’ve got to cook for their family. Women are subjected to stereotypes – of how we’re supposed to be and act – but it’s nonsense, and you just don’t get that with men,” she says.

“When I first started these events, I knew I was going to make them fun – that we were going to cook, have a glass of champagne and that these women could connect with other women in similar situations, and if we burn something, it doesn’t matter. I wanted it to be a liberating thing; for these women to do something that’s just for them and not for someone else.”

Maseko also wanted to highlight how cooking can help people with their mental health, helping them to slow down and be in the present. “I find cooking therapeutic,” she says. “If I’m feeling down, I get into the kitchen and it’s almost like going to the gym – the process helps me iron-out the issues that are getting me down, and that really gets me out of a hole.”

Lorna Maseko being creative with food/ Photography by Sean Brand

Credit: Sean Brand

Taking inspiration from food giants

Her career trajectory has been nothing short of inspirational, but for Maseko, this is only the beginning. When I ask her what her biggest career achievement to date is, she tells me it hasn’t happened yet – that it’s a special project she’s been working on which will be released in February 2023.

“I’m never quite content with anything. Even though I’m grateful for where I am, there’s more I can do. I never want to settle,” she explains. Part of this strive for greatness involves making sure she’s abreast of what’s going on in the food world and watching what the titans in the industry are doing.

“I watch all the food-themed TV shows because you must see what’s trending and what people are interested in. I watch a lot of Gordon Ramsay’s shows because he has built an empire around the food space and that’s so inspiring – I’m like, ‘Okay, so this is what he did’, or ‘Oh, that’s an interesting approach he’s taken’. I mean, a restaurant for me isn’t on the cards right now, but it’s great to see how people like him have been able to do it,” she explains.

“I also like Jamie Oliver. He’s an advocate for food sustainability, which is so important. Plus, he writes books on five ingredient recipes and makes them great, and it’s like, how do you do that? I follow these people because I want to be in touch with the space that I’m in.”

When I ask her what makes her different to everyone else in the competitive food field, her answer is so in line with everything we’ve spoken about, especially in terms of the laser-focused mindset that comes from her professional dancing background: “I think what’s set me apart is that consistency – the perseverance to do the same thing every day, over and over again, until I come as close to perfection as I can.”

How Maria Bradford is putting Sierra Leonean food on the map

How Gordon Ramsay’s food took over the world

GBBO judge Paul Hollywood on the origin of his famous handshake