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Kimberly Mhembere
CHEESE, butter, carrots and vegetables are ingredients that one does not expect to find in sadza, but a Zimbabwean recipe developer is on a mission to do the unthinkable.
Faith Gugulethu Moyo is on a mission to bring a new twist to the way traditional food is prepared.
Her latest experiment — or concoction, if you like — has seen the food influencer incorporate cheese, butter, carrots and vegetables into the country’s staple — sadza.
Yes, adding all that stuff to mealie meal in a single pot!
But will this still be sadza? Perhaps the eater will have to decide on this one.
Using ingredients one can never imagine, Moyo is serving African-inspired meals with an avant-garde twist.
She said her aim is to use Zimbabwean staple foods to inspire and educate the global community about Africa’s heritage.
“I vividly remember my grandmother’s cooking and always being excited to try her next recipe,” said Moyo, who is the founder of Avarese Kitchen.
What inspired Moyo to enter the culinary world was her upbringing.
“Cooking was never a chore at home, but a family’s love language. It was how one showed the family love and care. My mom always gave me room to experiment and try new things, and this played a key role in boosting my confidence and independence in the kitchen,” she said.
“I was later ushered into food content creation on social media, which also soon became a hobby. As a young mother, I needed an outlet to keep myself busy as life had not been kind to me.
“I did not know that it would ultimately lead me to building this amazing global community of food lovers like myself.”
Today, Moyo is a successful food blogger based in England.
Like many before her, she has demonstrated that social media is a robust tool for expanding business ventures.
Through social media, her kitchen has secured catering contracts for high-end corporate and private events in the United Kingdom.
Her pop-up kitchen, marked by a fusion of contemporary fine dining and African-inspired recipes, is widely known as the “African Brunch Party”.
Moyo documents her everyday kitchen experiences on camera.
“My content connects people with similar interests. My ability to incorporate Ndebele, Shona and English is a unifying factor; it brings audiences together. My creations and recipes are inspired by my cultural influences and professional experiences.
“Understanding the history of my home country’s staple foods and the need to bring in a modern approach to the recipes has been an advantage to me. I believe my recipes are a stepping stone, which will make Zimbabwean cuisine a topic of interest and choice on a global scale,” reckons the food influencer.
Reactions to Avarese Kitchen’s ideas of diluting African staples by giving them a Eurocentric twist have been varied.
“Sometimes people act out of spite, saying all sorts of stuff. However, evolution is inevitable and it is the only way to grow and learn. It takes one person to think outside the box and be innovative,” she said.
“This is why we no longer have to bury our food for preservation. I look at my work as a way of exporting my culture while giving it a global friendly package. There are some people who, unfortunately, think that black people should not be doing this.”
Moyo is currently working on a documentary about her food and culinary journey, which she feels will be a ground-breaking project for Zimbabwean food.
Online Reporter