Sjoe! MasterChef SA choux challenge says goodbye to 'firm favourite' Lona Rode

Amy Maclver catches up with MasterChef South Africa contestant Lona Rode who got voted off in the latest episode after making it to the top five.

Listen below.

The competition is heating up as MasterChef South Africa draws closer to the finale. 

Five contestants entered the kitchen in the latest episode, but only four remain. 

The challenge was Choux, also called eclairs, which guest judge Jared Melamed says is the most difficult of all pastries to make.

Melamed was named the Best Pastry Chef 2024 at the Lux Awards. He owns La Tarte Patisserie in Sandton, and shared some of his masterful creations, before challenging contestants to replicate his signature patisserie: 

• Tarte au Choux Noisette with Pate sucree
• Crème pâtissier
• Choux pastry
• Chocolate and hazelnut praline 

The cooks were given a recipe card and three hours to impress.

Judges agreed the challenge was monumental and would have been difficult for even the most accomplished chefs.

Nabila’s dish was selected as the pick of the day.

Sadly for Rode, his pastry came out great, but his timing was off, and he could not complete the task to perfection. 

Judge Justine Drake could not hold the tears back as they broke the news to Lona, saying he’d been a firm favourite in the kitchen from the beginning, but just like that, his flame was out.

However, because Rode made it to the top five, he still walks away with R100 000 in prize money which Rode 'has plans for'.

The self-taught chef explains what making it this far has meant... 

"I was very emotional... I had difficulties in emulsifying the dough for my choux and it was the most difficult factor that let me down. I wanted to start over... but I realised that time was against me so I tried to continue. But it was a very technical challenge where if you do one thing wrong, it messes up everything."

- Lona Rode, Contestant - MasterChef SA

"Three hours is enough but in a MasterChef kitchen, three hours is like three seconds, especially if you're given a recipe to follow... But it was just one of those days where I was just panicking."

- Lona Rode, Contestant - MasterChef SA

"I am super proud that I have won already. Being in the top five is a huge achievement..."

- Lona Rode, Contestant - MasterChef SA

"For me, being a rural boy who grew up being raised by a grandmother who had a small garden, choosing something from the garden and making something delicious of it... I dream about food and bringing it to life and when it happens, it's absolutely amazing."

- Lona Rode, Contestant - MasterChef SA

With Rode eliminated, the final four remain... 

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.