Icing on the cake for Mpho

Mpho Tshweneyame is the best baker in the land.

She beat 823 other competitors at the Supreme Top Baker competition last weekend in Fourways, north of Johannesburg.

Tshweneyame, 33, from GaRankuwa is a Wits University BCom graduate who quit her process engineering job in 2011 to follow her passion for baking. She even did a baking course in Germany to be certified as a baker in 2012. On her return she opened her own company, Bread Culture, in Johannesburg.

"I wasn't expecting to get the first prize. You usually know when you're good and I had a feeling I was going to win something, but not first prize," she said.

Tshweneyame plans to invest the R50000 prize money into the business. "Because I bake from my kitchen, I think I'll buy equipment to help grow the business bigger."

Jane Jabulile Masilela congratulated her friend. " . All the hard work paid off finally and most importantly you are getting recognition and reward for what you love doing."

The top eight finalists had a live bake-off in front of the judges.

tiwaneb@timesmedia.co.za