GEORGE NEWS - She can hardly reach a kitchen countertop, but is already a finalist in a national cooking competition. This coming weekend five-year-old Bailey Goodger from George will compete in the finals of The Taste Bud Battle in Johannesburg.
Bailey, of Glenwood Hous School, is one of 10 tiny finalists who will battle it out for the head chef's hat in the Mini Cook-Off in the Pre-Primary category.
Her mom, Dominique, says allowing her girls to make a mess and have fun in the kitchen from an early age is what sparked Bailey's interest in all things culinary.
"From the age of one, I allowed her to decorate cookies and cupcakes and do small tasks like putting topping on a pizza. It was at about two years that she really started showing a huge interest in both baking and cooking."
Bailey is very excited by the news that she made it to the finals. "A lot of baking and practising has been taking place in preparation for the finals," says Dominique. "The entire family has been receiving different kinds of baked goodies from Bailey who adds her own touch to everything."
The Taste Bud Battle is a brand-new contest that was launched in January this year in Gauteng. It soon went viral on social media and the judging team was forced to embark on a roadshow to Durban, Cape Town and George to meet with excited entrants and taste their creations.
Donna Verrydt of Contact Media and Communications says the cook-off will feature the top 10 finalists who made it through the dish-tasting stage in July, competing in three age categories - Pre-primary, Preparatory / Primary and College / High School.
The kids were encouraged to create a "character dessert" - a dessert inspired by a fictitious character or fantasy story.
"Entrants uploaded their recipes at www.tastebudbattle.co.za along with pictures of the dish and the contestant. To date the website has received more than 100 000 unique visitors," says Verrydt. They were so blown away by the response that they ended up planning a three-year strategy around the campaign.
Verrydt says the Cook-Off round on 14 September will involve three different Capsicum Culinary Studio kitchens, allocated to the three age categories. The Mini category will get to choose between making a savoury or sweet dish, while the Junior and Senior categories will need to format a menu from mystery ingredients.
The Cook-Off will be followed immediately by the awards event and the announcement of the winners.
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