03 Sep 2015

Failure can never define any person in life. That is exactly what a Moshupa-born Boitumelo Setshwano proved when she failed Form Three as she did not sit at home and feel sorry for herself or look for sympathy from people.

The  34-year-old and owner of Boise Events Restuarant and Catering Services  is taking the world of food by storm in Tsabong .

She did not undergo any training in cooking but her passion for cooking helps her put food on the table for her family. The mother of one’s passion for cooking was realised when she worked as a cook in lodges and restaurants.

Her passion came to reality when she came to Tsabong and started her own restuarant. She started her business last year June with no capital, but because of her determination she managed to run it for six months with the money she used to save while working.

During this time she was patiently awaiting approval of her application of funds from the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture, and christmas came early for her as in November the same year she was funded to the tune of P91 156.

“I even rented this place on credit when I started, and the owner was heaven sent because he heard my cry and allowed me to operate without paying him rent at first,” she narrated her story.

After God answered her prayers through youth fund she bought equipment such as tables and chairs, a fridge and a deep freezer. She managed to hire three workers too. Ms Boitumelo is a hardworker with a passion, and because of that her business is flourishing.

“I love cooking very much, you cannot do this job if you do not have the love for it. I wake up every morning looking forward to my work, ” she said.

Her restaurant caters for people from all walks of life - government employees, Tsabong residents beside catering for special events. Even though her menu is not different from other restaurants in the village, her cookery still attracts many customers.

“We do not add too much oil and we make sure that we do not put too much seasoning in the food,” she explains.

She explains that she reads a lot of recipe books and magazines to learn more about cooking as it helps her to prepare more pleasing dishes.

“The taste of food must be different everyday,” she adds.

Ms Setshwano encourages good customer service too because she believes the customer is the life blood of the business.

“Even if the food you cooked is not nice , if you present them to your customers with love they do appreciate,” she said.

She said she loves her customers and likes to appreciate them, as such sometimes at the end of month she gives them free desserts. Ms Setshwano wants to study cooking one day as she believes she has to be well trained on cookery and food handling. She praises LEA for providing her with short business courses to empower her.

Ms Setshwano shares all she knows with her workers because she believes a team needs to always be on the same page.

She also believes motivating workers instills the love for the job they are doing as sometimes the pressure of the job can lead them to quit. The young woman points out that she is still faced with challenges such as lack of transport, but she believes immediately she finishes paying back the loan she will buy a car.

The other problem is unskilled labour, but she sometimes calls the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs to train her workers. Shortage of vegetables in the village and bad weather conditions are also unfavourable, but she always makes sure she overcomes these challenges.

She has a dream to build cooking school one day where she will be able to teach Batswana about cooking. But above all, the lady is grateful for government to afford her this opportunity as she managed to build herself a house.

“I am the breadwinner at home and this business has dignified me and my family is living well,” she said.

Her last words, especially to the youth is that they should not look down upon themselves, but stand up and take advantage of the help the government is offering.

“Vision must come from the heart not from another person as this will push you to work hard despite the circumstance one faces, ” she concludes. Ends