Clement Manyathela speaks to trailblazing public speaker and founder of Wakanda Food Accelerator Chefpreneur Programme, Miles Kubheka.
What better way to combat South Africa’s skyrocketing unemployment rate than giving trained chefs a taste of their own success?
The Wakanda Food Accelerator Programme, an entrepreneurial hub for food tech innovators in South Africa, aims to do just that.
In collaboration with The Department of Tourism, the programme works to empower trained chefs, baristas and sommeliers on how to convert their skilled abilities into their own food businesses.
Founded in 2018, the initiative seeks to create new opportunities through driving disruptive solutions for the future of food, specifically indigenous products.
Miles Khubheka, who calls himself a Vuyopreneur, said on The Clement Manyathela Show that the initiative reached new heights in response to the financial knock experienced by hospitality industry due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The challenge was during COVID-19 most of them lost their jobs because of hospitality shutting down. The challenges was how do we convert them to business owners
Miles Kubheka, Author and food entrepreneur
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He added that the programme is open to home cooks as well because entrepreneurs come from anywhere.
If we are going to create jobs in the country, it’s the entrepreneurs that are going to do it.
Miles Kubheka, Author and food entrepreneur
Khubeka, who has a passion for indigenous food, said the South African tourism industry should place native cuisine as top priority when advertising what the country has to offer.
Hospitality is a no-brainer, when you land in another country you ask what’s good here
Miles Kubheka, Author and food entrepreneur
I’m very passionate about indigenous foods, we’ve got so many amazing ingredients here.
Miles Kubheka, Author and food entrepreneur
One of the programme’s entrepreneurs sells plant based baobab ice-cream.
It’s an amazing product and she learnt it from her Gogo [grandmother] in Limpopo somewhere who crushes the marula seeds and baobab seeds into a paste.
Miles Kubheka, Author and food entrepreneur
Visit The Wakanda Food Accelerator Programme for more information.