We are four episodes into season 4 of “The Great South African Bake Off”, which started with 12 hopefuls and comedians Lesego Tlhabi (aka Coconut Kelz) and Glen Biderman-Pam sprinkling some lightness as the pressure heats up in the tented kitchen.
In the latest episode, judges Siba Mtongana and Paul Hartmann took the amateur bakers back to the past with challenges involving the classics like choux pastry swans, steamed puddings and layered terrines.
As is the case every week, the main prize is to come out on top and avoid being sent home.
The winners of the previous seasons are Dot Dicks (season 1), Cait McWilliams (season 2) and Bianca Breytenbach (season 3).
Of course, fans of the reality TV show are on tenterhooks watching the contestant numbers dwindle with every episode.
Meanwhile, I got to find out a bit more about Hartmann, who has made his foray into the TV space on the show.
While we exchanged pleasantries on the virtual meeting link, there was an unmistakable calmness and patience in him.
He shed light on the weather in CT, which is where he is based.
Hartmann admitted that he was pleasantly surprised when he received a call from a producer at Rapid Blue, asking him if was interested in the opportunity to take part in the show, and if he would be keen on flying in for a screen test.
Without giving the request a second thought, he agreed.
Suffice to say, everything panned out, but it took a little adjustment on his part.
He admitted: “Initially, it was very, very intimidating. I was very self-conscious standing on this film set. And they ask you to speak and, obviously, it is from your knowledge from your experience of working in the industry and so on.
“But the fact that there are about 10 or 15 people around you, watching you, I found very intimidating in the first couple of days that we were filming.”
“Then I got to realise from observing and speaking to the people on the crew that nobody is really interested except possibly the director and your producer, who works with you hand in hand.
“Everyone is busy with their own work. The sound guy, the lighting guy and so on. So they are not really watching how you speak and what you say, they are more concerned with getting the whole thing perfect.
“So let's say by day 3, day 4, I settled into it. And I must say that the crew in their entirety shocked me in the most pleasant way possible,” he added.
While he’s been in the industry for many years, Hartmann revisited how his culinary journey began.
He shared: “It started off like most people, at home, in the kitchen with my mother. We were given bowls to lick out and some ingredients to play with and, as we grew older, we were allowed to make things like jam tarts, biscuits and so on.
“We were a big family that gathered every Sunday and everybody just jumped in and got busy with getting the lunch ready, and even the kids were roped in, and that is where my interest developed.
“And at the end of Grade 9, I made the decision that I didn’t want to be in the corporate world and put on a suit and tie. I wanted to go into the kitchen. It’s a lot more free. It’s a lot more creative and it’s not hierarchical, or so I thought.”
And so he enrolled at the Hotel School at the University of Johannesburg.
Hartmann said: “I did my two years there. And off I went off to my job. The idea then was to be the best chef of the biggest hotel in the world, as young and naive as I was.
“I started at a small restaurant in Sandton City and then moved onto a place in Bedfordview and got my first hotel job at the Royal Hotel back in the 80s.”
From there on, he made calculated moves to find chefs that he admired and respected, and tried to find jobs on their teams.
His last job was at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, which is where the seed to open his own business was planted, as the money he earned versus the hours he worked didn’t balance.
“The bug bit and then I decided to open my own business. What we did was open the South African Chefs Academy, and a little bit later on I opened the Woodstock Bakery, because bread has always been an interest of mine and it was something that I found, in those days, very, very challenging.
“But luckily I was mentored and taught by very good people throughout my career, and I try to translate that into how I teach my students at the academy,” the judge explained.
Hartmann pointed out that the transition from teaching to judging was quite a simple one because it is not the maniacal chef approach – it is nurturing and helping and assisting.
With this in mind, the show fosters an environment of growth, with contestants able to show off their talent in the best way.
Having watched the show, it’s evident that Hartmann, who admitted to being competitive by nature and having his own share of wins in his career, and Mtongana share a yin and yang dynamic.
He revealed: “I think the main difference, if you will, Siba is a very, very kind person. Even outside of the judging arena, she’s engaged with people, she’s considerate and kind.
“In my observation of her judging, she is technically biased to an extent, but I think the creativity, presentation and that first impression is what is very important to her. Whereas I would go into the more technical part of it and the classic, traditional methods and recipes and so on.
“For example, if you are making a carrot cake, I want to know when I’m eating it that there are carrots. When I look at it, there are carrots. So that it is immediately recognisable.
“Siba would look for what it looks like: Is it saying carrot cake, is it wow, is it really telling me a story? So I think we complemented each other quite well.”
Hartmann pointed out that the show isn’t a war between the judges and competitors.
“It is not our position to come and stamp our authority or style. It’s to assess their work –and where they have fallen down and made mistakes, to point them out.
“But then, at the same time, to explain how they can avoid those mistakes in the future, and how they can improve more the next task. It is about encouragement.”
The judge said he was blown away by the camaraderie among the contestants.
“Initially, I was a bit concerned that there wasn’t a high level of competitiveness among them but going through all 12 episodes of the filming, they worked as a family.
“They were competitive in their work, but they were kind to each other.”
Just goes to show that sometimes, you can have your cake and eat it too. And it looks like Hartmann has no problem with that!
∎“The Great South African Bake Off” season 4 airs on BBC Lifestyle (DStv channel 174) on Wednesdays at 8pm.