“I’ve been passionate about cooking since I was 6 years old”
Kudakwashe A. Makoni (also known as The Black Chef) is a Culinary Arts Management graduate, passionate about the culinary arts and hospitality in general, having started out as a Front of House team member - as a Cashier, Supervisor, Assistant Restaurant Manager and as a Restaurant Manager he has run, setup highly profitable kitchens in the UAE, Bahrain, Zimbabwe and is now a fundamental member of the Groupe Sebastien leadership which he serves as Group Executive Chef based in Accra, Ghana overseeing the running of 5 culinary units. Kuda has worked for leading organizations such as Radisson Blu, Shade, Starbucks, The Coffee Club, The Foundry, IHG, Innscor, News Cafe & Cafe Nush.
He is hardworking and highly systems oriented and strongly believes you can never do wrong with structures and systems in place. His areas of strength include menu development, kitchen SOP’s, recipe creation, portion control, health & hygiene, team building, engagement, management and leadership! He is very people oriented and strongly believes in fostering ethical corporate culture within an organization. Corporate governance, strategic management, business development, marketing, food and beverage are his go to areas in business operations.
Kuda has an avid love for Pan African/Afro-fusion cuisine especially merging the not so talked about/popularized cuisines of Southern Africa with the more visible cuisines of West, North and East Africa. Telling the stories of how ingredients across the African continent have distinct similarities and these translating to people, culture, art, fashion, music and history expanding beyond the continent into the diaspora. Kuda believes that Zimbabwean cuisine can also run the same race and share the same stage as the more known cuisines of Africa.
He hopes to open his own restaurant in the very near future showcasing Zimbabwean & African cuisine