CHEF TAKES TO THE STREET
Chef Gibson Matenge is using his creative skills to turn around the local street food industry. Matenge is very passionate about this latest venture of his and has curated a number of events that will tap into this exciting industry. This coming weekend, he will be hosting the first series of pop- ups.
The event will see him through his brand, SAMMICH, which is behind his famous Cheese steaks introducing another product, Cheese Steak Burrito. For this launch, he will be working with another street food brand namely, Fusion Quesadillas. Both Matenge and Fusion Quesadillas are based in Block 9.
He explains that the whole aim behind this latest initiative dubbed Street Food Wars, is to elevate street food, and showcase the diversity of street food. Traditionally, he says that local consumers have been getting from the streets the usual Chips, Russians and Hotdogs. Matenge tells this publication that there is so much variety to street food. “What is happening right now is that hot dogs and chips are very popular but there is nothing really fancy about them,” he says. He also notes that beyond promoting street food and introducing Batswana to a new variety of street food, they also wish to uplift the youth. They will be doing this by going to various locations where he will battle it out with the resident street food. Most importantly, the public gets to choose the location. Their next location happens to be Pennywise. “It is a win for both the street food and my brand, as it will allow me to build and grow my brand while also helping the youth in the process,” he says noting that he will be using his skills and knowledge to open their eyes to an array of street food that can be tapped into. “The individuals whom I will be battling with should have a Facebook page, and logo for their brand. I shall be imparting my food knowledge to the entrepreneurs, sharing tips on how to further grow their brand, recipes and so forth,” he explains. He also highlights that he intends working with a number of companies that include Parmalat, Jägermeister as well as Arona for their bread and Alcohol Candy.