25 Feb 2024

A student of Boswa Culinary Institute in Maun, Kaone Kwati has scooped an award at the recent International Young Chef Olympiad held in India.

The 24-year-old Tlokweng native is pursuing his diploma course at the culinary institute and was selected to represent Botswana in the elite competition, which attracted participants from 60 countries.

Briefing the media, one of the chefs at the institute, Diana Mood said Kwati had also been offered an internship placement in France and the United States.

“We are very proud of Kwati’s achievement as he has put our newly opened institute and the country on the map,” she added.

Mood gave credit to Xigera Safari Company in Maun saying one of its chefs, Ziyaad Brown provided mentorship, which gave Kwati the confidence to showcase his skills on the international platform.

She also acknowledged the company’s support to the institute since opening doors and promised that going forward, they would select one student to participate in the competition to upscale students’ skills in culinary arts.

For his part, Kwati could not hide his excitement, thanking his mentor for the support.

“The competition was an amazing experience as it allowed me to exchange with professional chefs and this enhanced my winning chance,” he said.

His passion for the culinary arts, he said, started at an early age as he used to assist his parents in the kitchen.

He said already some companies locally and internationally, had offered him a permanent job upon completion of his studies.

 Boswa Institute opened doors in February last year and it is aligned with the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality & City & Guilds.

The Young Chef Olympiad is a prestigious annual event organised by the Institute of Hotel Management, which is the largest hotel school chain in India. ENDS