Mohalenyane Phakela
AWARD-WINNING chef, Donald Moletsane, is set to host the inaugural African Food Festival featuring cooks from around the continent on 27 November 2015 at his Thetsane Office Park-based restaurant.
Moletsane, who is popularly known as Chef Donald, is the founder of the Dona@Balos Chef School and Hospitality which recently scooped regional and continental awards in culinary art in South Africa and Namibia in September and October respectively.
He told the Weekender this week that the festival would be held under the theme “Unity in Diversity”, with 12 chefs from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, DR Congo, Nigeria and Ethiopia showcasing their cuisines.
“The aim of the African Food Festival is to promote the appreciation for African cuisine in Lesotho,” he said, adding that Dona@Balos students would also prepare traditional Basotho food.
“In Lesotho, we have many expatriates from the African continent, yet we still don’t have a place where they can be served traditional food in a professional manner.
“I was recently in Ghana and Namibia and saw how they use their traditional cuisine to promote their tourism sector. As Basotho, we can do it too.”
Chef Donald said the festival would also coincide with the opening of his restaurant whose main specialty would be African cuisine.
“Our intention is to make Lesotho a one-stop tourism destination through food,” he said.
“So, we will be serving traditional food such as Nyekoe, Khemere and Letsina as well as locally-produced wines.”
Meanwhile, Chef Donald also revealed that preparations for his institute’s graduation ceremony were underway, which would be followed by a gala dinner on 11 December 2015.
“During the gala dinner, which will follow the graduation ceremony, we will host high profile chefs from South Africa who, together with my students, will prepare a six-course dinner,” he said.
“We will also host Ghana’s director of tourism to promote synergies between the two countries. Our school will start offering a diploma course next year, with the students undergoing their internship in Ghana.”
Chef Donald added that a food competition was also in the works which would feature various hospitality and chef schools from around the country.
