Paheja Siririka
WINDHOEK – The national broadcaster’s commercial station, Touch FM, was crowned the overall winner while Base FM was awarded the best-dressed team at the Nedbank Media Kapana Cook-off Competition last Friday.
The Head of Marketing and Communication at Nedbank, Gernot de Klerk, said they cannot think of a better way to kick off their National Kapana Cook-off Competition other than hosting a teaser event for the local media industry,
“Our media colleagues arrived with their game faces on and eager to demonstrate that their kapana cooking skills are strong. The judging, done by Namibia Chefs Association, put emphasis on hygiene, presentation and taste,” said De Klerk.
The Complete Kapana cook-off will host rounds of the competition with the first starting in Oshakati on June 15, 2019. “We will be back on June 29 for the preliminary rounds in Windhoek. On July 13, 2019,we are heading to the coast in Walvis Bay and July 27 in Gobabis. For the first time, we are taking the final cook-off outside Windhoek and this will be happening in Ongwediva on August 24, 2019, and that’s where we will ultimately crown the champion,” said De Klerk.
He said the winner will walk away with prizes in access of N$100 000, including a mobile kitchen to allow them to become entrepreneurs straight away. “They will have the cash to start their business, vouchers from Meatco to buy the meat and we would also like them to go through an entrepreneurship course to learn about the rigours of starting a business,” pointed out De Klerk.
A good example of this initiative currently in its fifth term would be last year’s winner Sakeus Kateya. “He has grown to expand his operations and just bought his second mobile kitchen,” highlighted de Klerk.
“If you think you have what it takes to become the next Nedbank Kapana Cook-off Champion, complete the form and submit it to any Nedbank branch,” encouraged De Klerk.
He said the winner will be accorded the opportunity to formalise their trade with a fully fledged kapana container shop.
“The bank will also award the winner with a N$15 000 cash balance, straight into their account,” said De Klerk.
He said the ultimate aim of the kapana cook-off competition has been to make sure the delicacy transcends.
“Kapana is to be celebrated as something that is uniquely us, uniquely Namibian but also making its way on the menus of the best restaurants in this country,” he expounded. De Klerk said just as there is European or Asian cuisines, “We have kapana, and we have to celebrate that uniqueness,” he said.