Ministry of Tourism impressed with Sunbird Chef Competition – Malawi Niassa Times

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Ministry of Tourism Principal Secretary Chancy Simwaka has commended Sunbird Tourism Plc, a company listed on the Malawi Stock Exchange, for organising the chef competition, saying the initiative will go a long way in motivating chefs to hone their skills in gastronomic tourism.

Shinwaka, who spoke at the Sunbird Chef Competition awards ceremony held recently in the Sunbird capital of Lilongwe, said every tourist is attracted by good food, hence the need for chefs to learn more about food tourism to attract more customers and ultimately contribute to the country’s GDP growth.

“When people decide where to go, they consider multiple aspects including accommodation, activities and the type of food they can enjoy. When food appeals to a particular tourist, they will choose that place. We think this campaign is important because it will naturally prompt chefs to prepare food that will appeal to local and international tourists.

“Gastronomy tourism is considered an important part of the tourism industry and therefore requires special attention,” he said

Simwaka says tourists want to learn more about the places they visit through food experiences such as farm-to-table tours and restaurants, visiting local markets and interacting with chefs as food is prepared. They are seeking out local flavors and specialties they can’t find elsewhere, which creates unique opportunities for creative chefs.

Sunbird CEO Samson Mwale said that in the culinary tourism sector, chefs are the ones who drive things forward, so they need to be creative and innovative, which is why they decided to introduce the competition to motivate them to gain more experience.

Mwale said that recently they have been hosting the competition in-house but now they are looking at making it a national event to accommodate more chefs from across the country.

One of the overall winners, Prince Msamanyada from Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre, said he was happy as he did not expect to achieve such a result and he attributed his success to God.

Msamanyada said winning the competition was a huge motivation and he would continue to work hard to ensure visitors were able to enjoy delicious food.