It looks like Shreya Beekum isn’t giving up on creating amazing dishes any time soon.
This comes after her shocking exit from “MasterChef South Africa” season 5. Beekum decided to end her journey on the reality cooking show due to personal reasons.
Exiting as part of the top 10, the judges advised Beekum, alongside Amo, and Nabila to pull up their socks in the last cookout.
The Ballito resident, who previously informed viewers that she had no idea how to bounce back after her food flop, took the floor and explained that her anxiety was starting to get the better of her, and coupled with unfortunate news from her family, her withdrawal was an act of self-love and self-care.
From the start of the competition, Beekum was transparent about suffering from Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety, which she usually soothes with the discipline of cooking or yoga.
In one of the show’s intense moments, viewers caught a glimpse of her anxiety when she cut her fingers badly and skipped the pie-making challenge, as she had to be rushed to the emergency room.
Despite her roller-coaster ride in the competition, hopping between the top and bottom-named meals, Beekum was showered with positive attention from fans during her time.
Speaking to Independent Media Lifestyle, she said her love for food and cooking started from a very young age and was influenced by her grandmother.
“Growing up I used to stay over with my grandmother and she would teach me how to bake, roll rotis and cook. It's from those fond memories that I loved the way cooking and food made me feel.
“From there I decided I want to make other people feel the same way with the food that I make and so that is how it all started,” she said.
Beekum said the competition influenced her in several ways. She said she has become a little bit more confident in who she is and more determined to stay true to herself even when it feels difficult.
“I think I have become a little bit more accepting of myself. The outstanding amount of support that I have received and the amount of good responses from the show has been overwhelming and surprising but very pleasant.”
Beekum said her focus now is to continue cooking more and collaborating with other people and brands.
“I will be continuing with my culinary journey and doing that through learning more about food and the hospitality industry. I am very much open to collaborations.
“The competition opened me up to the food industry in a new way and I would love to do more collaborations so that I can impact the food industry in several ways.
“My brand has also evolved in kind of promoting mental health and accepting yourself for who they are, and I hope that is something that I can do more,” she said.