Pickled and sautéed
mushrooms at
Singita Lebombo.
Tea plantation views from the dining room at One&Only
Nyungwe House, in Rwanda.
THULANI SILINDA, 33
Kubili House, Thornybush
Private Game Reserve,
South Africa
Silinda spent seven years
with Singita before taking
over the kitchen at Kubili
House, an exclusive-use
lodge where she serves
everything from ayurveda-
influenced dishes to
platters of vegetables with
a Middle Eastern spin.
Her favorite part of the
job? When guests ask
for her specialties, like
beet tartine or chocolate
fondant, on repeat.
kubilihouse.com; doubles
from $5,000, all-inclusive.
TSAKANE “TK”
KHOZA, 31
Singita Lebombo, Kruger
National Park, South Africa
Khoza, nicknamed TK, was
just 25 when she beat out
200 applicants to earn a
place at Singita’s culinary
school; six years later, she
has climbed the ranks. A
stint at Blue Hill at Stone
Barns in New York gave her a
new outlook: “I’ve reduced
waste with techniques like
fermenting and pickling veg-
etable scraps.” You’ll find
global dishes like salmon
with cucumber, kimchi, and
ponzu on the menu, along-
side some with a regional
flair, such as springbok tar-
tare. singita.com; from $2,078
per person, all-inclusive.
TREASURE
MAKWANISE, 28
One&Only Nyungwe House,
Rwanda
Makwanise fled Zimbabwe
for South Africa at 16 and
lived on the streets before
securing his first job as a
kitchen steward. He’s since
traveled the world, but now,
at One&Only Nyungwe
JACKSON MUTUKU, 32
andBeyond Bateleur Camp,
Masai Mara, Kenya
Kenya’s heritage is woven
into Mutuku’s farm-to-table
menus: spiced sweet-
potato soup might be fol-
lowed by slow-braised lamb
with garden-pea chermoula
or a roti-wrapped fish curry.
The chef’s workshops on
how to bake bread or make
Swahili irio—a medley of
corn, beans, potatoes, and
pumpkin leaves—let guests
bring home something
far better than anything
they’d find in a gift shop.
and beyond.com; from $1,320
per person, all-inclusive.
The Saviors of
Safari Cuisine
House, his menu is
grounded in Rwanda. “We
use ancient methods, like
stone-grinding peanut but-
ter and baking under-
ground,” he says. Dinners
might feature tea-leaf pesto
or a riff on Rwandan aga-
togo with perch, plantains,
and amaranth greens. one
andonlyresorts.com; doubles
from $1,955, all-inclusive.
Thulani Silinda,
chef at Kubili
House, in
South Africa.
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High-end resort brands across Africa have
reimagined their culinary programs,
incorporating sustainable local produce and
nurturing a new cohort of homegrown chefs.
Instead of rustic barbecue buffets, this crowd
is dreaming up menus that are in tune with both
global trends and regional food traditions.
Here, four promising young talents to watch.
BY JANE BROUGHTON
Reach out to T+L A-List travel advisor Cherri Briggs (cherri@
exploreafrica.net; 888-596-6377) to plan your next safari.
