Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana’s rising culinary talent, Ontumetse, has been selected to represent the country in an international cooking competition featuring participants from countries including Uganda and Morocco. The unexpected selection left him thrilled, though he admitted he could not fully process the news immediately due to his busy work schedule.
“I was pretty excited in the moment, but everything happened really, really quickly,” Ontumetse said. “I did not have the moment or time to process everything that I was feeling.”
The competition offers Ontumetse a platform to showcase Botswana’s unique cuisine and share his passion for cooking with a global audience. “Personally, I have always had this dream of wanting Botswana to be able to compete on the world stage, more so in culinary arts,” he explained.
Ontumetse’s love for cooking was instilled from a young age by his family. “I grew up around a family that loves to cook. I’d wake up in the morning, and my dad is cooking something, my mom is cooking something,” he said. This early exposure nurtured his culinary curiosity and set the foundation for his professional journey.
His growth as a chef has been guided by mentors he met during university and early in his career, including Chef Phil Key, Chef Jeremy, and Chef Andrea Granzarolo. “They have shaped my journey, so to say,” Ontumetse noted, acknowledging the influence of their guidance on his skills and approach to cooking.
Beyond personal achievement, Ontumetse’s participation in the competition marks a professional milestone. It also presents an opportunity to grow his personal brand, Fat Cousins. “It obviously then helps with building my own personal brand,” he said, highlighting the broader impact of representing Botswana on the international culinary stage.
Ontumetse’s selection signals a promising moment for Botswana’s culinary scene, offering a chance to highlight local flavors and creativity to a global audience. His journey from a family kitchen to an international platform reflects dedication, skill, and the potential for Botswana to gain recognition in world-class culinary competitions.
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