Dieuveil Malonga, born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and raised in Germany, is the founder of Chefs in Africa, a digital platform that aims to cultivate the talent and culinary passion found in Africa. It connects government institutions, training centers and businesses with professional chefs and young culinary students or apprentices looking for work experience. This network already has over 4,000 African chefs as members: it facilitates contact between its members and hotel and restaurant industry agents, and local producers as well.
Malonga promotes the platform and the talent of its members in private meetings with recruiters and gastronomic tour companies and at top international culinary events, such as the 4th World Forum of Gastronomy Tourism of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), UNESCO’s Africa Week and Siemens’ Fusion Food project.
Malonga is also one of the 10 chefs to have made it to the final list of the Basque Culinary World Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the culinary universe. He recently spoke to me about his startup Chefs in Africa, and how is working assiduously to connect Africa’s culinary talents to the most befitting opportunities.
What’s your educational and professional background?
I was born in Brazzaville, Congo and raised in Germany where I studied at Adolf Kolping Schule in Münster, a leading culinary institution. I went on to win several competitions such as Die Goldene Kartoffel in 2012 and honed my skills at Michelin-starred restaurants including Schote, Life and Aqua. In 2016, I founded Chefs In Africa.
Tell me about Chefs In Africa. How did the idea come about, what does it hope to accomplish and how is it funded? Tell me about the journey so far?
During my travels on the continent to promote ‘Afro-fusion’ and learn more about our gastronomic heritage; I was inspired by the drive of hundreds of young leaders I met to own and reinvent the narrative of African culinary arts.
This is how and why we started Chefs In Africa. We are a 100% self-funded social business platform on a mission to educate and put talents from the continent at the forefront of a global culinary revolution.
Our online community is thoroughly curated. The website allows members to connect, build their personal brand, further their education and source work opportunities in hospitality.
This past June, the United Nations World Tourism Organization invited us to give a keynote at their fourth Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in Bangkok, Thailand.
This type of visibility sparks global awareness yielding economic opportunities for our community of young chefs.
What’s the business model for Chefs In Africa?
The platform counts about 4,000 Chefs. Members get to learn more about regional and traditional products and recipes. Our commitment is to support them with the building of their creative and business legacy. As such, we hold workshops, seminars and provide resources for them to interact with both local and international key players. Our partners include government and leading hospitality institutions such as the Sheraton hotel.
People say African cuisine has long been ignored on the global stage. How do we make African cuisines enter the Western mainstream?
Education is key to making African cuisines mainstream. As one of our students brilliantly put it, “With so much propaganda of poverty and hunger doing the rounds about Africa, no one really thinks anything of African food”. [Shubhangi Saxena]. – Isn’t it food for thought? [laughs]
In December 2017, Professor and Brand Strategist Sissi Johnson and myself co-created an “African gastronomy” MBA course, as part of the Luxury Brand Management program at IFA Paris (International Fashion Academy) – a first of its kind in Europe and the world.
Food is art, food is culture, food is history, food is political. Our curriculum tackles the uncomfortable and the unknown about Africa. We address clichés,misinformation, research local eating habits, ingredients and recipes per region and cook together.
Outside the classroom, branding African excellence is paramount to shifting the narrative. Through SelfSells agency, I have achieved an unprecedented level of global visibility which ultimately brings awareness to African gastronomy.The main “ingredient” to my success is the people I have been supported and inspired by.
Congratulations on being a finalist for the Basque Culinary World Prize 2018. What does the recognition mean for you and what will you do with the money if you win?
Thank you, it is a great honor. Winning the Prize will allow us to fund “Chefs In Africa competition” set to be the first and largest culinary competition on the continent. This is an exciting time as we are collectively writing the genesis of modern African gastronomy.