On the 1st November 2023, 20 of us set off early from the office in Arusha in a few safari vehicles and made our way to our Itikoni Camp in Arusha National Park. Twenty of our Chefs, Assistant Chefs and Service staff were set to do 3 days chef and service training at our Itikoni Camp with one of the best in the fields, Charley Swynnerton from Safari Cuisine. Charley has been in the business for many years and has worked across various different lodges and camps throughout Africa. Charley has been training our chefs for the past year and we were so excited to get her back to inspire all of us to do better.
After arriving at camp after an hour and a half’s drive, everyone was rearing to go and was ready to hit the ground running. Over the next 3 days, the plan was to learn all new 3 course meals, a mixture of Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegetarian and Meat based dishes. The first lunch was set to be a good one, there was Tomato Tartar to start, falafels, warm butternut salad and zesty salsa salad as the mains, and then vegan lemon tart as the desert – let’s just say it did NOT disappoint!
All the chefs were so engaged and very excited by being all together to learn. There was a great vibe in the kitchen and there were lots of questions, as well as lots of banter and laughter. Everyone got stuck in and definitely got a lot out of the whole thing.
Everyday, they prepared 3 course meals for lunch and dinner, as well as lavish breakfasts. Our food at our camps and on the mountain already gets pretty good reviews, however, it’s so important to keep everyone inspired and keep improving on our menus.
We are now working hard to keep this training up by doing regular practice days at our Moloni Cafe in Arusha at our main base, so that all of these new recipes keep fresh in their heads. We will then be introducing these new items onto our menus throughout the camps and on the mountain, and we cannot wait to show you what we’ve got!
Below are some of the mouth watering dishes we are introducing!
