Pickled fish skin in fermented gel with cauliflower might not sound sexy at first, but South African chef Lorna Maseko delivered the regional dish with the elegance of her ballerina past as part of an intimate six-course dinner recently at the Los Angeles Cooking School in Culver City.

Internationally known from Top Chef, MasterChef South Africa, and BBC’s HomeGrown South Africa, Maseko began her career in dance becoming the first Black Prima Ballerina in South Africa. She became a finalist on Celebrity Master Chef and has taken the culinary landscape by storm since then, launching Cooking with Lorna and Friends, serving as host and executive producer of lifestyle reality series The Hostess with Lorna Maseko, and creating her own cookware line with HSN. Maseko currently hosts Homegrown SA on BBC Lifestyle and Celebrating with Lorna Maseko on Recipe.TV, and was a guest judge on Season 20 of Top Chef World All-Stars.

Pickled fish skin with cauliflower (Santiago Vasquez)

“It’s an interesting time in the west right now, Maseko told L.A. Weekly while plating the venison carpaccio in a South African dried meat biltong emulsion crowned with ribbons of crispy parsnips. “People are discovering things like sorghum and amaranth and other ancient grains that people have been eating for centuries.

Each of the meat-forward courses and dessert was accompanied by a different Amarula cocktail, the cream liqueur made from the Marula fruit that is only found in sub-Equatorial Africa. Attracted by its intoxicating aroma, elephants from the region travel far to feast on the ripe Marula. The fruit is hand-harvested, then pulped and distilled to make Marula spirit. Once aged in French oak barrels, the Marula spirit is infused with cream.  Amarula’s Southern California District Manager Ralph Perrotta worked closely with Maseko to develop the drink pairings for the evening. 

Other dishes included Magwinya with fried donuts, chicken liver parfait and mango pickle, a gemere sorbet palate cleanser made from South African ginger beer, and Maseko’s take on the traditional Sunday meal of seven colors, incorporating a mix of vegetables, starch and meat. Her version included butternut squash, creamed spinach, beets, slaw, mushroom roulade, chakalaka puree and tender shredded lamb.

A Taste of South Africa with chef Lorna Maseko (Santiago Vasquez)

For dessert, guests that included R&B artist Omarion, model Vuyo Dyasi and South African Consulate General Thandile Babalwa Sundaza swooned over the Amarula custard tart with caramel sauce.

“There are so many different cuisines in the different regions and in every culture of Africa, said Maseko, who is currently being courted by any network that has a food show. “If you go to Limpopo National Park to see the big five (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and Cape buffalo) you’ll also find the biggest mangos and avocados you’ve ever seen, which all get exported to the rest of the world. Everyone gets to enjoy our cuisine but needs to celebrate it a little more. I hope to introduce the cuisine of my home more by doing residencies and pop-ups like this. The best thing about African cuisine is the people who make it and the stories behind them.

Photo: Santiago Vasquez