Passionate about partnering for progress and the power of collaboration, Okavango Wilderness Safaris (OWS) joined forces with The Patio, a Gaborone-based restaurant, to bring together chefs from both organisations to prepare a culinary feast for friends and stakeholders of Wilderness. Choosing to celebrate local talent and shared skills, the business opted to pair the chefs to work together, and share ideas, and tips and tricks of their craft, co-creating a menu representative of both organisation’s abilities and passions.
With a high-level OWS stakeholder cocktail party as their canvas, Wilderness Vumbura North Head Chef, Kamogelo Masebe, and Wilderness King’s Pool Sous Chef, Gaoredise Oduetse, travelled to Gaborone to join Ian and Jakkie Flanagan and their team of chefs to plan, curate and execute a true feast for the senses for over 100 guests in the city. For this culinary collective, it was not so much about a stellar event, as it was about using the opportunity to share ideas and skills, and show the true calibre of cuisine Batswana chefs are capable of.
“We are thrilled to have partnered with OWS and to have welcomed their chefs to The Patio. This collaboration was a fantastic opportunity for us to learn, grow, and showcase the diversity of Botswana’s culinary scene and depth of talent. We look forward to more such partnerships as we explore what the full breadth of the sector has to offer”, noted Jakkie.
In curating a truly collaborative menu, the team looked to infuse creative recipes with uniquely Botswana flavours, celebrating dishes and nuances both The Patio and Wilderness are known for – including such firm Wilderness camp favourites as Vichyssoise Soup Shots, Seswaa Bonbons, and Chicken and Waffles Hors D’Oeuvres.
Claudine Swart, Wilderness Food Experience Manager says the idea to partner the chefs was born out of the need to pay true homage to the quality of trained chefs in Botswana, and to show that these proverbial wizards in the kitchen truly can be a creative, formidable force. “It goes beyond following recipes. It is about experimenting, having fun, and learning from each other. We’re tremendously grateful to The Patio for being open to such an idea and for being so welcoming”, she said.
If the success of the night’s spread is anything to go by, indeed supported by the rave attendee reviews, there is much more to Botswana’s local culinary scene than we may first realise.