Morné van der Merwe never thought he would win an international cooking competition. But his pasta recipe with fresh tomato, basil and parmesan cheese made the judges’ mouths water.
“I was very skeptical at first when Marlene Jordaan from Innovation for the Blind told me about this, but we decided to take the chance,” says Van der Merwe.
Although he and his wife, Heaven, are blind, they are almost self-sufficient and Van der Merwe cooks for them every night. He works at Innovation for the Blind where he teaches ABET classes and is also involved with a radio station where he records dramas. He also directs a choir.
“To enter the competition, you may not have any sighted help and only the cinematographer filming it may be present, but cannot help. We contacted Tharina Marais from Pure Boland for the ingredients and the most delicious, crisp tomatoes, garlic and basil from the gardens were sponsored. We used few things from store shelves – even the pasta was handmade by a resident,” he says.
The Golden Eye Chef is the world’s only international cooking competition for the blind and has been held since 2019.
Van der Merwe says the key to his success is planning. “I know exactly where I put what. You learn to use your other senses when you’re cooking and can’t see. When you’re cooking rice, it sounds different when the water is running low and when you put a spoon in a pot, you can feel if the water is still resisting. I also use a tester when I make a chicken pie and feel if there’s still dough sticking to it.”
His cooking journey began thanks to a friend when he was a student. “My mother sent me food to university, but my friend said there was no reason why I couldn’t learn to cook. She brought a pot and pan and started teaching me how to boil eggs, make white sauce and even bake potatoes.”
These days he loves experimenting with bread recipes and has been keeping his sourdough plant, named Grietjie, alive for four years.
Originally published in Afrikaans by the Worcester Standard & Breederivier Gazette on 5 June 2025. Translated and republished with permission.
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