My bush gourmet cuisine has opened me up to a regional and international culinary world that previously I could never have reached. It also introduced me to the singular Cape wine industry. Each international chef who collaborates with me here in Livingstone not only brings a commitment to train the Zambians in my kitchen, they also teach them new skills and techniques about the cuisine in which they specialise.
My week-long Bush Gourmet Chef’s Table series offers a plant-forward multi-course tasting menu that is curated with fine Cape wines from Under the Influence, one of African’s leading wine and spirit companies, with whom I often partner. The series not only highlights the quality of the organic garden ingredients grown right outside my kitchen door, along with the artisanal products offered by Livingstone’s small-scale farmers; it also illustrates what heights can be reached when you apply your imagination and creativity to the singular wild and indigenous foods of Zambia’s upper Zambezi Valley.
Fine Food & Fine Wine
Chef Collaborations (in part)
Image — Western Cape chef, Nick Heyns, renowned for his interpretation of Thai cuisine, with SavannaBel chefs, Monde Dambe & Mapalo Chilumba.
Image — Chef Monde & Chef Nick garnishing one of the Thai dishes.
Image — Danish chef Nick Nielsen, who specialises in New Nordic cuisine, plating with my husband, Chris, who sometimes stands in as Sous Chef.
Image — Mabisi, Strawberry, Fennel, Kammerjunker.
Sharing my Bush Gourmet Credo
One of my most memorable invitations to introduce my bush gourmet cuisine was at Cottar’s 1920s Camp in Kenya, where I was privileged to accompany the Maasai/Dorobo hunter/gatherer legend, Letilet Ole Yenko, foraging for wild edibles to be used in their luxury camp’s kitchen.
While these days I have little time to teach, over the years I have been fortunate to be invited to do so at some of this country’s top safari lodges. Zambia is an enormous country — the combined size of France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland — in which there are 72 officially-recognised tribes. Working in some of its wildest parts introduced me to new challenges, different cultural traditions, and many more wild edibles and indigenous heritage foods.
Image - Making fire-baked mpotohai, to be used as scones for Chinzombo Lodge’s high tea, in Zambia’s Eastern Province.
Image - Preparing a breakfast of shakshuka and house-made ciabatta bread in King Lewanika Lodge in the Liuwa Plains of Barotesland.
The Winemakers
I have always loved learning about wine, and since I started collaborating with Under the Influence, my knowledge has grown exponentially. Not only does the company sponsor and pair the wines for my Chef’s Table Series, but on occasion I have been asked to host the winemakers themselves, who travel here from their vineyards in the Western Cape to immerse enthusiasts and tourists in the stories of their individual wines. In addition, as a gift to my front-of-house team, Under the Influence has offered training through their Beverage Intelligence on-line university, where they are taught about all aspects of the wine industry.
