The rules of the game were simple: think up and cook a three-course meal within three hours, spending no more than R80 per head.

Foodie finalist: Winner of the Fedics Cook of the Year challenge, Susan Fink, struts her stuff.	Cooking: Mina Andrews, Susan Fink and Bulelwa Tyalimpi vied for top honours.

And three cooks from Fedics @UCT, a contractor providing meals to UCT students in residences, got their creative juices and sauces flowing.

The three - Mina Andrews, Susan Fink and Buyelwa Tyalimpi - were the finalists in the Fedics @ UCT Cook of the Year 2012 Competition, which initially pitted 30 cooks from nine kitchens around the university against each other. The purpose of the event was to encourage creative thinking among the cooks and motivate them.

"If you produce food everyday, cooking can be a mundane kind of a job," said Thila Miller, Fedics' regional operational manager. "This is to motivate our staff and possibly impart skills to other cooks."

The finalists were judged on the taste, flavour, and the presentation of their food, as well as their cooking skills and the kitchen environment.

In the end, Fink, a cook at Tugwell Hall residence, took top honours. Tyalimpi of Rochester House was the first runner-up, and Andrews of the Medical Residence finished third.