THE finals in the 2017 Nedbank kapana cook-off competition will take place at Bix Carwash near Katutura’s Single Quarters this Saturday, 29 July.
Ten professional chefs and 15 entry-level kapana connoisseurs from across the country will go head to head to battle it out on the braai stands for the ultimate prize – N$10 000 for the professional chefs winner, and N$15 000 plus a mobile caravan kitchen for the 2017 entry-level winner. In addition, the entry-level winner will also benefit from an all-expenses paid SME mentorship programme with businesswoman and Nedbank SME ambassador, Twapewa Kadhikwa.
The action kicks off at 09h00, and the winners will be crowned between 13h00 – 14h00. The finalists were selected from across the country through preliminaries which were held over the past few months.
The aim of the Nedbank kapana cook-off competition, which is now running for the 3rd consecutive year, is to promote micro-businesses in the economy, and is one of the ways in which Nedbank provides a platform for Namibians at that level to showcase their talent.
“This year’s competition is bigger and much better in terms of prizes than the previous years. We had the Hospitality Association of Namibian (HAN) and the Namibia Chefs Association help us [select] especially entries for the professional chefs category, which is a first in the history of the competition. With the inclusion of the professional chefs category, we wanted to open up the competition to more people, but also to introduce the kapana tradition to chefs who are coming from already established restaurants and tourism establishments, with the hope that they will one day include kapana on their menus. Bringing professional chefs and entry-level chefs together on a platform like this allows for integration and networking between the two groups of people,” said Elsa Carstens, Nedbank’s manager: events, activations & micro-marketing.
Meanwhile, Gernot de Klerk, Nedbank’s head: marketing & communications, said coming together around a fire and grilling meat over the coals is part of the fabric of Namibian life, and it is the one thing all Namibians have in common.
“As Nedbank, we believe celebrating and promoting kapana is to celebrate and promote the unique way in which Namibians have embraced this culture. Kapana vendors symbolise something great about our nation in that they show us that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well, along with the drive to make things happen, regardless of circumstances. We at Nedbank respect and admire these characteristics in our Namibian entrepreneurs. We hope the kapana cook-off will in its own way help to inspire our fellow Namibians to celebrate the spirit of togetherness,” he noted.
Activations for this year’s competition started in May, and took place at Swakopmund, in Windhoek, and the northern regions. The 2nd runner-up in the entry-level category will walk away with a cash prize of N$10 000, while the 3rd runner up will receive N$5 000. The Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) and Fruit n Veg are also on board as sponsors.
At the introduction of the kapana cook-off competition some two years ago, the attendees heard many different interpretations of what kapana actually means, and what the essence of the word conveys. There was one constant, and that is: “Kapana is the embodiment of the Namibian spirit. It is both naturally and uniquely proudly Namibian.”
