Background
At ZimboKitchen we recognize that Zimbabwe has a rich cultural and traditional cooking history that goes back to the days of mine and yours mother and grandmother. We have a passion to keeping those cooking and baking recipes alive. Not only that, we also love to tap into international recipes and make them relevant to our Zimbabwean context. How many Zimbabwean home cooks can make butternut squash salad with farro and pepitas or Fesenjan Persian Chicken Stew with Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce ? At ZimboKitchen.com we simplify things and bring them into our own Zimbabwean context. And remember a dish doesn’t have to be complicated or take a lot of time to be good.
This makes ZimboKitchen.com the premium go to site for all Zimbabwe related step-by-step walk-by-the-hand cooking, baking and recipe tutorials. All our content is free for all to read and try out at home or wherever you might be on the planet (our pictures are however copyrighted, please do not use without permission).
We bring to life Zimbabwe and international cooking ideas in a simplified pictorial and video (coming in 2013 is our YouTube channel) step-by-step manner helping any would be cooks produce great and yummy results in their own kitchen no matter how big or small, laden or humble that kitchen might be. To be frank, we really don’t care what’s in that kitchen we just care about the passion to cook and bake. We realize many great cooks are held back because they feel I don’t have this or that to do this and that in my kitchen.
That said, this site is by no means a perfectionist site nor one for self accomplishments show. Rather it’s a sharing site were we share Rumbie and friend’s cooking escapades and connect with others with a similar passion for Zimbabwean food and international cuisines in our local context.
Resident Home Chef
Our lead and resident chef is Rumbie. Not all her recipes work out all the time…some fail. A mother of three, Rumbie is passionate about cooking and baking and is our resident home chef. She holds a considerable repository of Zimbabwean and international recipes handed down from her mother and grandmother. She also attends cooking and baking classes whenever possible to ever enhance her skills and connect with others with a similar passion. Many step-by-step cooking tutorials found on this site are produced in her home kitchen.
She works along side other cooks and chefs to produce the recipes and tutorials available for you to read and try out free of charge.
You may also read Rumbie’s cooking story by following link.
The StartUp Challenge
In October 2013, ZimboKitchen entered the acclaimed ZOL StartUp Challenge an intense technology startup challenge in which winners receive seed funding . The ZimboKitchen team (pictured) pitched the idea and business case behind ZimboKitchen to a panel of judges who included some of Zimbabwe’s top business executives and entrepreneurs. Out of over 20 technology startups that pitched in the Challenge that year, ZimboKitchen emerged in the top three taking home a runner’s up prize which included seed capital in cash and free internet connectivity from ZOL Zimbabwe the largest and most advanced ISP in Zimbabwe.
Not only did ZimboKitchen’s success at the challenge provide us with a great networking platform, it most importantly validated our idea and propelled our efforts and vision to the next level with the backing of successful executives running USD multimillion dollar companies.
In 2014, ZimboKitchen was recognized by the ZOL StartUp Challenge organizers by being offered a judging position in the 2014 edition of the competition (this was the first time ever in the history of the contest a previously participating startup was to be given this opportunity). Aurther Shoko (pictured below) who is our Business Development team leader joined leading business executives on the panel of judges in scrutinizing, shaping and encouraging upcoming technology startups develop promising business ideas with a strong business case (see full list of 2014 judges and mentors here). Over 20 startups took part in the 2014 Challenge. The final event was held at Sango Conference Centre, Cresta Lodge, Harare with prizes going to the top 3 startups.
Our Logo
Our official ZimboKitchen Logo above was prepared for us in support of the project by our favorite designer – Clinton – whom you can contact on +263 773 446 402 Kudos Clinton!!
And finally, thank you for visiting Rumbie’s cooking blog – ZimboKitchen.com. We say Ukama igasva hunozadziswa nekudya! For non-natives, this is a Shona idiom which loosely translates – relationships are hardly complete unless you partake of a meal together. Let’s partake of meals on ZimboKitchen.com!
Want to contact us about non-cooking related issues? Please go to this page to contact us .
