Africa-Press – Botswana. Maun’s Waboraro Mutombo and Botsalo Keorapetse of Shorobe are winners of the “Tswii and Fish Cook-off Challenge” held at Lunar Garden recently.
Organised by the North West District Council (NWDC) in collaboration with Elephant Havens Foundation and Semowi Safari, the competition gave contestants a platform to apply their skills in preparing the district’s popular traditional dishes.
The winners’ creativity through invention of new recipes that added a fresh twist to the local delicacies won the judges’ hearts and they walked away with P2500 each. Mutombo prepared a dish called paprika bream stuffed with vegetables with green peas while Keorapetse’s dish was tswii pancake with tswii jam and milkshake.
NWDC chairman, Itumeleng Kelebetseng, said the initiative was in line with the government’s ambition to promote culture and value chain development in the different districts. He said the initiative was also in line with the National Vision 2036 aspiration of leaving no one behind, citing that through the competition, they wanted to promote inclusivity, business growth and skills development among small entrepreneurs.
“As the council we do not only focus on improving the lives of destitute people, but also develop initiatives that could help people venture into income-generating projects,” he explained.
Kelebetseng stated that the “Tswii and Fish Cook-off Challenge” also promoted indigenous and cultural food, saying that the initiative had potential to produce great chefs who could be absorbed into the competitive hospitality industry.
His desire is to see more traditional dishes included in future competitions to attract more contestants and celebrate the district’s cultural diversity.
He said some contestants might be motivated to work together, support each other and eventually open restaurants that specialise in local cuisines.
“Cooking is a therapy to me as it encourages creativity and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking for my family,” said Mutombo.
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