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Chef Lewis Mushonga releases cookbook “Bika”

Chef Lewis Mushonga
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One of Zimbabwe’s finest chefs, Lewis Mushonga is set to release a book about cooking entitled Bika, published by iPublish House with the foreword written by Lucy Ruth, a Zimbabwean-based Canadian award-winning author, and Guinness World Record holder.

The waiting is finally over! 26 November 2021 is the day of launching and releasing this much-awaited Classic Cook Book. Bika is a book with classic recipes that has been made simple and easy for Home Cooking, College Cooking, and Hospitality Cooking.

The Author has compiled the tried and tested recipes from his past years of experience to make them easier to cook right from the kitchen. With the coming in of Lucy as the executive producer and publisher, one must have a copy of this book in his/her kitchen. The book will be Launched virtually on the 26th of November 2021. After that, it will be sold on Amazon and hard copies will also be available as well.

Spiked Online Media was in Victoria Falls recently and caught up with Lewis Mushonga, an executive chef who says to him “Cooking is a calling” for an interview at the famous A’Zambezi River Lodge – a citadel of hospitality in the resort city under the auspices of the Rainbow Tourism Group.

Below are excerpts from the interview:

Q1. In the professional arena, who is Chef Lewis?

Lewis is a Zimbabwean-born and trained Chef, with over 13 years of experience in the food industry. With humble beginnings as a kitchen hand at the age of 19, I undertook my apprenticeship with Elephant Hills Resort. After completion of the program, l rose up the ranks quickly from a Junior chef to being a Chef De parte. I left Elephant Hills Resort after 9 successful years. I then moved to The Victoria Falls Hotel where I was a Sous Chef in charge of the multi-award-winning restaurant (the Livingstone Dining Room) for more than 2 years. Currently, l am the Executive Chef at A’ Zambezi River Lodge where l believe I have cultivated a strong passion for the hospitality industry throughout the years I have been here.

 

Q2. To what do you attribute your success?

To me, cooking is a calling from God. I call my hands “gifted hands” because they can do magic when it comes to cooking. It took a lot of sweat, tears, and blood to be where l am today but l still have a journey, a journey to leave the cooking industry a better industry than what l found it.

 

Q3. What difference have you made as a Chef?

 

My enigmatic and sophisticated style of cooking and carving has revolutionized the kitchen through the training of young chefs. I have imparted cooking skills to young chefs who have become top chefs in the industry.

Q4. If you had one piece of advice for fellow associates what would it be?

 

You must do good always even if people are not seeing you, GOD is watching you. Do not be weary in doing good He is the rewarder.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My heartfelt appreciation goes to my wife, Idah Mushonga, and my family for their contributions and advice. My deepest gratitude goes to Lucy Ruth, my executive producer, and publisher. I extend my special thanks to iPublish House for making this possible. A special note of thanks to A’ Zambezi River Lodge Kitchen team and management at Large. Not Forgetting the past Hotels that I have worked for.

SOME OF THE DISHES

The Crocodile salad

The Crocodile salad

THE SKEWERED CAPRISE SALAD

The Skewered Caprise Salad

THE PEPPERED BEEF SALAD

The peppered beef salad

About the author

Byron Adonis Mutingwende