Online Reporter
Judith Phiri, [email protected]
TRADITIONAL food, heritage and culinary creativity took centre stage at United College of Education (UCE) in Bulawayo yesterday as hundreds gathered for this year’s provincial Amai’s Traditional Cookout Competition.
The event attracted 50 contestants competing in four categories: people with disabilities, professional chefs, tertiary students and community members, each showcasing a wide variety of traditional dishes in a contest aimed at celebrating Zimbabwean food heritage.
In the disability category, Rutendo Kuyangepi from Khami emerged victorious, while Nothando Mpofu claimed top honours in the professional chefs’ category.
Trish Muzore from Bulawayo Polytechnic won the students’ category, while Ntombizodwa Phiri from Reigate topped the community category.
The top two contestants in each category will represent Bulawayo at the national finals scheduled for May 25 in the Midlands.
All contestants and winners received cash prizes, food hampers and other awards.
The competition was initiated by the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, in 2019 before being adopted by the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry following its expansion.
In a keynote speech read on her behalf by Deputy Minister Tongai Mnangagwa, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi said Bulawayo was honoured to become the fourth province to host the 2026 provincial competitions.
“The Cookout Competitions programme presents a true reflection of our culture, heritage, creativity and culinary excellence, wherein we are found actively taking our gastronomy tourism journey deeper into the communities as the backbone of this great nation,” she said.
Minister Rwodzi paid tribute to the First Lady for championing gastronomy tourism and elevating Zimbabwe’s traditional cuisine onto regional and global platforms.
She said what started as a local initiative had grown into a nationally transformative programme contributing to cultural preservation, economic inclusion and tourism development.
“It is through Her Excellency, the First Lady, Dr Auxilia Mnangagwa’s passion, tirelessness, advocacy and profound love for Zimbabwe’s culture and heritage that the seed was planted, whereupon this entire movement has grown,” said Minister Rwodzi.
She noted that what began in 2019 as Amai’s Traditional Cookout Competition, a bold and inspired idea to encourage Zimbabweans to embrace consumption of traditional foods and preserve culture and heritage, has blossomed into a nationally transformative programme.
She said it has also earned Zimbabwe global recognition and repositioned the country as the undisputed leader in gastronomy tourism on the African continent.
“Since then, the programme has been implemented at district level, provincial, national, regional and international levels. Showcasing our unique gastronomy at the international stage has contributed to positioning Zimbabwe as a global giant for gastronomy tourism,” said Minister Rwodzi.
“The First Lady has introduced several initiatives to ensure the penetration of traditional gastronomy from the general citizenry and beyond the borders of Zimbabwe.”
Minister Rwodzi said under the First Lady’s patronage, gastronomy tourism programmes have continued to expand internationally.
Last year, the Zimbabwean cuisine was showcased in France and a permanent gastronomy restaurant was established in Italy.
The minister said the programme has empowered over thousands of beneficiaries directly, preserved heritage and positioned gastronomy as a tool for cultural diplomacy and economic inclusion.
“As a result of her work in championing gastronomy tourism, the First Lady was crowned the Queen of Gastronomy in Africa by the World Tourism Organisation, UN Tourism. The Government of Zimbabwe, under the leadership of His Excellency, President Dr ED Mnangagwa, has made tourism a cornerstone of economic development and the results are undeniable,” she said.
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“There are several opportunities to do business in Zimbabwe through a community-centred approach, which is in sync with the national vision towards an upper middle income society by 2030 and gastronomy tourism is no exception.”
Minister Rwodzi said it has great potential to create jobs, empower communities and generates income as a form of livelihoods sustenance, while by fostering partnerships between local farmers, communities and business entities, they were building a robust ecosystem that benefits everyone across the value chain.
She said to ensure they achieve tangible results and far-reaching impact, her ministry was committed to implementing gastronomy programmes through a Whole-of-Government and a Whole-of-Society approach as pronounced by President Mnangagwa.
“We are moving step by step towards institutionalising gastronomy tourism, elevating it to its rightful place in our national economic landscape. Backed by statistical evidence, Zimbabwe’s tourism sector tells a compelling story,” said Minister Rwodzi.
She said gastronomy tourism continues to contribute significantly to national economic growth, with Zimbabwe recording more than 1,77 million international tourist arrivals last year and generating over US$1,3 billion in tourism receipts.
“The main driving force for visiting the destination among other activities is the gastronomy experience,” said Minister Rwodzi.
She noted that while the cookout competition aligns seamlessly with Vision 20230, it empowers men and women by recognising their role as custodians of culture and drivers of economic participation.
“Gastronomy is a multi-billion-dollar industry globally and Zimbabwe must claim its share. The commercialisation of our food heritage is not about selling our culture but about owning its economic value,” said Minister Rwodzi.
“Countries like Italy, Thailand, and Morocco have transformed their culinary traditions into powerful engines of tourism revenue and employment. We have no less to offer, but to call it beautiful.”
Minister Rwodzi congratulated all the contestants who participated in the competitions for demonstrating a high degree of expertise in traditional food preparations.
Food displayed during the competition included juices and teas made from wild berries and fruits, muffins, traditionally prepared mopane worms, rabbit, beef, goat meat, road runner chicken and fruit-based desserts.
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