Zola Nene went up against other South Africans and made the short list for the TV Celebrity Chef- English category of the Gourmand Awards.
Nearly a year ago to this date Zola Nene debuted her first cookbook “Simply Delicious”. The cookbook is filled with tons of local and lekker recipes, like Pap Lasagne, Vetkoek and Lamb Stew with Dumplings. The cookbook was a fast hit and received international recognition.
Before Zola became a Chef and Food Stylist she was studying Law. Her heart wanted to be a chef and so her father encouraged her to go to the UK to work in professional kitchens.
“I feel like I’m living a foodie’s dream. If someone had told me six years ago I’d be where I am today, I never would have believed them.”
Zola proves that hard work pays off. As a chef for the Expresso Show, Zola was able to build a loving audience and from that her cook book was born.
“It feels surreal to call myself a published author, and to share my recipes on national TV every day is just unbelievable. I wouldn’t trade places with anyone in the world.”
Simply Delicious won in the South African category of the “TV Celebrity Chef – English Award”, making it onto the shortlist for the final, Zola now faces the judges going up against Chefs from the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand to name a few. The winner will be announce at the Award Ceremony in China on the 28th of May 2017.
The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards were founded in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau. It is free competition and open to publishers in all languages and countries. The Gourmand Awards celebrate global cookbook and wine book publishing and feature many world-renowned chefs each year
Simply Delicious was a work of passion for Zola, taking nearly two years of hard work. Zola took a lot of inspiration from her mother and grandmother as they were the cooks of the household.
“Over two years, I threw myself into it completely – every recipe has a story, and follows a journey throughout my life. It’s hard to choose a favourite! It was really difficult narrowing down which recipes to include, but I think I managed to find a good balance. I’m saving the ones that didn’t make it for the next book.”
Zola we are holding thumbs for you to win as well as all the other South Africans who have winning catergories being shortlisted. We will be sure to keep everyone updated on who the winning South Africans are come May.
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