Page 157 - Through the eyes of an African chef

Mzansi International Culinary Festival
MZANSI INTERNATIONAL CULINARY FESTIVAL (MICF) was borne out of a need for a space to celebrate African cuisine, African chefs and African cooks, and to share our knowledge and culture with the younger generation and the world at large. The festival has been graced by chefs from various parts of Africa: Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Uganda, Kenya, Senegal, Nigeria, and DRC-Congo, to name a few.
Locally, we have celebrated cooks from various cultural groups: Xhosa, Zulu, Venda, Tsonga, Khoisan, and Tswana. Young chefs are paired with indigenous cooks to present tastings and demonstrations. This assists them with learning how to create African dishes and develop existing recipes. It also instils pride in their culture and identity so they articulate who they are in the international culinary space.
The annual festival is advertised on various media platforms and tickets are sold on the internet. During the festival, we run the Mzansi Star Chef Competition for junior chefs to present recipes of indigenous creations.
To find out more about the Mzansi International Culinary Festival, you can visit www. africameetseurope.com.
THROUGH THE EYES OF AN AFRICAN CHEF
FARMERS AND FESTIVAlS 155