A chef flying high

wrong. If this raises more questions than answers in your head we’ll save you the stress and cut to the chase.
In Zimbabwe’s case, the Catercraft Company prepares food for all the airlines at their headquarters right next to Harare International Airport.
The food is put in trolleys, taken to galls that have very low temperatures aboard the plane. Air hosts or hostesses then preheat the food before serving it.
Since the food is supposed to be as fresh as it can be for long hours before it is served, extreme measures are taken from preparation right up to serving.
Speaking to Saturday lifestyle, the company’s chairman Kamal Khalfan emphasised that the environment was crucial and although business was at an all time low.
“A lot of air lines have since stopped coming into Zimbabwe due to economic sanctions but that has never been a reason to lower our standards. There is no room for compromise” he said.
Such a competitive environment requires a top class chef who is able to cope with the high demands of such a trade.
Saturday Lifestyle had the privilege of meeting such a high profiled Catercraft Zimbabwe executive chef Johannes Muchena. 
He took us down memory lane to the very first time his passion for cooking developed.
“It all started with my grandpa’s love for hunting, as we were growing up in Mvuma. He would bring home different kinds of animals that we would roast when I was as young as five” he said.
The well-mannered chef highlighted how his fate was attributed to his hygienic nature from an early age.
“I have always been a hygienic person from the time I was at primary school at Driefontein but it was at Holy Cross Mission School where it finally paid off” he said.
While at the mission school, he worked hand in hand for the Brothers and the Fathers as they appreciated his sense of cleanliness. They allowed him to prepare their food and do other duties for them.
It did not come as a surprise when he chose to study International Cooking at Bulawayo Polytechnic when he left school in 1970.
“I made a smart move by considering my greatest attribute when I chose my career. Because of that, I excelled in the industry”, he said
Chef Muchena got his break at Victoria Falls Hotel then moved to Bulawayo where he registered success in the hotel industry. He was part of the team that opened the then Sheraton Hotel now Rainbow Towers among other achievements.
“I have cooked for high profile people both locally and internationally and at one point I prepared a chicken terein dish for an Indian Prime Minister. He was so impressed that he requested three more that he took back to India”
“From working in both hotels and air lines, I can say that the two are very different in that airline food demands much more attention at all stages. Imagine eating hotel food six hours after preparation time. That is why we take special care and use state of the art equipment to ensure everything is up to scratch. You can never know who you are serving on a particular flight. There might be important people on that plane so the last thing you want to do is cause food poisoning” he said.
Over the years, Muchena has worked his way up the ladder and under his leadership in catering he has taken the company to greater heights. The company managed to win international awards in 1996.
They were the best Catercraft Company in the whole of Africa, among other awards from international airlines like British Airways, Lufthansa flights.
Unlike other chefs who do not enjoy cooking while at home chef Muchena revealed that he has always taken pride in cooking for his family.
“Because of my line of work, I prefer vegetable and fruit dishes.
“I get to taste a lot of meaty dishes so when I’m at home I prefer something different.”
“My children, Charity who is now a doctor in the United States, Tawanda and Shelton, have always enjoyed my cooking when I am at home” he said.
Speaking on hobbies the chef said he was a football fan.
He recalled how he caused mayhem during his hey days  while playing for Zimbabwe Saints, then Mashonaland United under Coach Herbert Ushewokunze.