Chinese national wins First Lady’s traditional cook-out competition

Patrick Chitumba

Chinese chef, Mr Dan Zao, won the best outstanding performance category accolade after winning the hearts of judges with his culinary skills, during the recent Midlands traditional cook-out competition.

The traditional cook-out competition, launched by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, continues to flourish, with the Midlands province introducing new categories for prison inmates and churches, showcasing an inclusive development approach.

The Midlands provincial competition, which was held at Mkoba Teachers College last Friday, marked the final event before winners and their runners-up advance to the national competitions in Matabeleland South province, scheduled for May 25.

This initiative seeks to promote indigenous dishes, emphasising their nutritional benefits and medicinal properties.

“I am happy to have learnt to prepare traditional dishes for Zimbabwe. This means you can now walk into a Chinese restaurant and enjoy your favourite meal. We will be taking some of the recipes to teach our friends in China so that when you guys go to China you find your best meals there. This will certainly strengthen our friendship,” said Zao.

Gastronomy tourism, promoted through the competition, is gaining significant traction, as people of all ages compete to showcase their culinary skills.

The competition has been instrumental in promoting Zimbabwe’s cultural diversity, celebrating diverse foods and addressing food security issues.

By celebrating local food and culture, the competition helps to preserve Zimbabwe’s rich culinary heritage and promote sustainable development.

Representing Amai Mnangagwa was the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Barbara Rwodzi, accompanied by the Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Owen Ncube.

Minister Rwodzi rallied participants to translate the skills gained into some viable and sustainable business entities.

“I want to urge you to take your culinary skills to the next level. Take advantage of the areas you are staying and open up businesses in line with the skills you have gained this far. For those who win at the national level, we are giving them gas stoves and caravans as part of the startups for their businesses.

“If there is a funeral in your area, take the initiative to feed the people at a cost of course. When the people who come to a funeral need a place to sleep, offer them, so that they don’t sleep in cars,” she said.

Minister Rwodzi said gastronomy tourism has courted the eye of the United Nations and is proving to be a game changer in the tourism industry, judging by the flow of tourists ever since Zimbabwe hosted the United Nations Tourism Gastronomy Forum last year.

“The gastronomy tourism concept is indeed showing some significant changes on the tourism scene. Ever since we hosted the UN tourism forum last year, we have seen an influx of tourists visiting this country to just have a taste of our traditional foods. It is that uniqueness of our African dishes that they want to taste as they can’t stand the pizza, which they eat almost on daily basis,” she said.

Minister Ncube said the event showcases and re-affirms the Second Republic’s inclusive, diverse and equitable development framework guided by President Mnangagwa’s mantra of leaving no-one and no place behind.

“The competitors are comprised of people with disabilities, tertiary students, community members, prisoners and head chefs. I therefore urge winning participants to represent Midlands to the best of their abilities and bring the trophy home,” he said.

Minister Ncube said gastronomy profiles the development trajectory of communities by benchmarking their culture, identity and ambitions over time through purposeful consumption and preparation of their traditional dishes.

“Each dish prepared today tells a story, carrying with it the history, values and heritage of the Midlands Province. Furthermore, this auspicious cook-out competition fosters connections, bridges cultural gaps, promotes healthy diets, stimulates economic development of communities through support of downstream value chains for local farmers, women, youths, artisans and chefs.

“Amai’s Cook-out competition therefore complements efforts by the new dispensation under the stewardship of President Mnangagwa to modernise and industrialise the economy through heritage-based rural development that harnesses local resources as we glide towards the attainment of a prosperous and empowered upper middle-income society earlier than 2030, “ he said.
Several other participants walked away as winners from the competition. – Herald