MEET THE TASTE MASTER SA S2 WINNER – LA PRAIRIE PASTRY CHEF & BAKER, KYLE HAYTREAD

MEET THE TASTE MASTER SA S2 WINNER - LA PARIS PASTRY CHEF & BAKER, KYLE HAYTREAD

Get ready to bake more memories this festive season by learning to make a rustic, pecan-praline carrot cake from The Taste Master SA winner Kyle Haytread.

As the year draws to a close and our festive spirits grow, it feels like the perfect time to look back and celebrate the blazing, homegrown talents who’ve shone through this year. Among them, the thirty-six-year-old winner of season two of The Taste Master SA: The Baking Edition.

Kyle Haytread is a Cape Town based pastry chef and baker at La Paris – a quintessential Franschhoek farm with grounds that pay homage to the region’s majestic beauty, breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, ancient oaks and peaceful dam along with a jetty across the water and an island in the centre.

Aside from being a scenic wedding and sought-after function venue, the historic estate is home to a popular bistro that serves a selection of delicious farm-to-table fare in a stylish, comfortable setting that even welcomes little members of the family.

This is where we meet Kyle, who shares that his infinite love for food started from a very young age which in turn influenced his choice of study.

“My food philosophy is really simple. It’s using fresh, local ingredients and keeping it simple. Simple is best – old skool and classic. I like a French classic. This is a French inspired estate,” explains the pastry chef.

Though, it was his ability to adapt those French learnings to a Russian menu which won him the title on season 2 of the reality show, brought to us by Royal Baking Powder and inspired by baking more memories.

“Competing in The Taste Master Season 2… Wow! It was quite an experience from beginning to end! There was a lot of drama, a lot of nerves, a lot of sweat and tears. Nobody knew who was going home and who was staying. It was pretty nerve-racking but at the end of the day, it was a wonderful experience and a lot of fun,” says Kyle before adding… “I tested myself. I competed against other people. I learnt one or two new things. I imparted some knowledge. It was wonderful.”

For anyone wanting to bake more memories this festive season, Kyle’s got your back. He demonstrated a traditional carrot cake with a white chocolate buttercream and cream cheese filling. Layered with hidden gems; butterscotch syrup and toasted nuts to add that extra richness. Then finished off with a garnishing of fresh herbs and flowers picked from the estate, and homemade pecan praline.

“I’ve always loved baking. I like the science and precision of it, but at the same time one can play around and be really experimental with flavours, techniques and visuals,” Kyle added.

And just like that, you have one more recipe to go and bake more of your own festive season memories. The work that Kyle tends to do may be very refined and classified as fine dining, yet the humble carrot cake still holds a special place in his heart.