The second season of The Great South African Bake Off has been nothing short of exciting, decadent and a mouth-watering and after an intense Showstopper Challenge, 19-year-old Cait McWilliams was crowned the winner of the show’s second season this week.
Cait, a restaurant manager from Cape Town, has been a frontrunner throughout the show and often showcased her creativity, particularity and passion. She beat out industrial psychologist Nasreen Chamda and Carol Ndovela, a Promo Producer during the show’s intense finale and has become the show’s youngest winner yet.
“It still hasn’t sunk in. I entered the competition to try and learn as many new baking skills as possible to help me on my way to becoming a successful professional pastry chef. So to actually be crowned the winner is just unbelievable to me,” Cait said on her win. “I feel honoured and humbled to be crowned South Africa’s best amateur baker, especially if I look at my fellow competitors all of whom are brilliant, passionate and talented.”
Winning the competition has also made it clear to Cait that this is something she wants to make a career out of and will take the skills that she has learned with her into her studies and training to become a pastry chef, “I was nervous entering the competition as the youngest contestant. I thought that my passion and love for baking might not be enough compared to the experience that many others brought with them. Taking part in The Great South African Bake Off and being crowned the ultimate star baker has given me so much confidence and affirmed my love for baking and now I am just so excited to get started on my dream career as a pastry chef.”
Naturally, Cait wowed judges Shirley Guy and Tjaart Walraven and they’re both thrilled to see a teenager win the show. “Cait has performed consistently well throughout this year’s competition. Her bakes have been creative and she has always managed to keep calm in the Bake Off tent. Thanks to her great array of baking skills and an exceptional palate for flavour combinations, she came out triumphant,” Shirley said. Tjaart concurs saying “Cait consistently showed us that the more creative you get each week when it comes to baking, the better. Cait folded great flavours into her baking and always kept her cool proving that she really was this year’s star baker in the final week. I wish her all the best and know she will go very far.”
The Great South African Bake Off has been a huge success for BBC Africa and became the number one channel in its competitor set on DStv’s platform. It attracted on average, 100,000 viewers each week. Congratulations, Cait! We can’t wait to see you flourish!
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