adminLatwell Nyangu
A 19-year-old chef is excited to be representing Zimbabwe at the World Culinary Olympiad to be held in India this week.
Eliasaph Chipare, said this is a big opportunity for her to make an international breakthrough.
The competition has 56 participating countries and three prizes, gold (US$5 000), silver (US$3 000) and bronze (US$2 000) will be up for grabs.
Chipare trip is being sponsored by her school, SAHTC Hospitality School, while the International Institution of Hotel Management (IIHM) of India will be responsible for her stay.
“I am very excited to be participating in the young chef Olympiad, which is the world biggest culinary Olympiad that begins in India up to February 4.
“To be able to participate in this competition is a great honour for me because I am not only representing my school, but I will be representing my country. Culinary arts for me is not just something I do as an occupation later, but it is something that I am very passionate about.
“My inspiration is my mother, who is a hardworking person. She taught me to work for what I want, and I will be traveling with my mentor Tendai Nyakakweto,” she said.
“When I started this journey, I was not interested in culinary, but I was working with my mother since she has a kitchen company and that is how I developed a passion for it. By the time I was in Grade 7, I was now helping my mother most of the time. When I started A-Level, I decided that I wanted to go to culinary school .
“I enrolled at SAHTC the Hospitality School in 2021 and it was a fun experience for me because I was doing what I love, I didn’t know that it would take me this far.
“It has turned into a great opportunity for me as I will be in India. A number of students were nominated for the role after a series of competitions. I had the final cook-off with a friend of mine Eric Kasukuwere and I qualified.”
Her mother, Eunice, said she thanks God for the blessings.
“I want to thank God for Eliasaph. She matured early and is a bright student. That’s why when she said she didn’t want to go for A-Level and go straight to Culinary school, I didn’t object.
“We knew it was not a decision made by someone who was afraid of school work and we persuaded her to do A Level, which she only did for the first term in Lower Sixth.
“She later came and said we were wasting our money,” she said.
At that time, she said, they allowed her to pursue what she wanted, and we looked for a school which offered best opportunities.
“When we told the school admin where she was doing Lower Sixth vakarwadziwa because they said they had seen a leader in her.”
Online Reporter