Twenty-seven contestants from around the country are competing for the R50 000 prize, with their own recipe showcasing South Africa’s best one-pot dish. The contestants are not trained chefs but unsung heroes and heroines to their family and friends who believe that they make the best home cooked meals. Contestants hail from townships and suburbs throughout the country, bringing curry recipes handed down from generation to generation, and potjie recipes that were developed in the "bush" and over time been embellished with ingredients that would very likely whet the taste buds of South Africa.

Pretoria-born Mosito said she has ambitions of becoming a full-time chef. Her dish was a chicken and mushroom casserole.

“I’m passionate about cooking and when I heard about the Kia Cook-Off competition, I thought it would be great for me to showcase my talents. I am confident of going further in the competition based on the dish I prepared. What I like about my dish is the fact that my husband loves it and every time I cook it, I get positive feedback from family and friends, so it carries a lot of happy memories,” she said.

“The first time I prepared it was on a Saturday and I was just trying it out, it came out fine but I wasn’t happy. I did it a second time and shared it with friends over lunch. And I had to explain throughout the meal how I pulled it off. My friends wanted to try it out to impress their families.”

Mosito said winning Kia Cook-Off would spur her into enrolling at a cooking school and hopefully, one-day, opening her own restaurant.

She said that while her cooking idols on television include Bobby Flay, Rueben Riffell and Citrum Khumalo, her biggest inspiration in the kitchen was a relative: “My late cousin Trevor was my biggest inspiration. He was a chef but sadly didn’t get to see my love for cooking develop.”
“I have always imagined myself being on a television cooking show, especially on Chopped or Grill it with Bobby Flay,” she said.
Entering the competition has given her a sense of belief that she can achieve much more. “Kia Cook-Off has shown me that I can do anything I put my mind to, it has taken my confidence to another level,” she said.

Mosito began cooking at 14. “I had to cook for 14 people. We alternated as there were many of us. But I didn’t enjoy it. I had to do it to avoid getting scolded by my grandma,’ she added.

However, her love for cooking developed over the years, and the fact that she reached the finals of the Kia Cook-Off is testament to her culinary skills.

The Kia Cook-Off SA 2012 is broadcast on Thursdays at 20:30 on The Home Channel, channel 182 on DStv.