FOOD

Possibly the single most unifying component of our day to day lives! Since time immemorial, people choose to meet conveniently in a Restaurant, to discuss important business, catch up on friendships or even make new ones, over a well-done steak!

At Kabojja International, we haven’t been left behind either. We have built a top of the range Kitchen, fully equipped and designed what should currently be the best dinning facility of any School in the Region. When we launch the ‘Le Petit Maison’ it will be the most experiential dinning ever witnessed hereabouts.

And on hand to manage the dining facility is our partner, ‘Fine Foods by Panache’ ably led by Ronald Safari, a well renowned passionate foodie and food enthusiast in the industry.

Ronald pursued a 4 year Diploma at Kenya’s Utalii College, after which he embarked on a very interesting and career fun filled sojourn in the Ugandan Hospitality Industry. First he worked with the Serena Hotels, and then later moved to the Sheraton Kampala Hotel from where GEMS Cambridge got him to set up the Catering section for the students.

Working and preparing food for students is the most underrated job in the world, and yet probably the most sensitive by far. We have to continuously play with their palates to see what they like most, and yet we also have to ensure that it is healthy as well; its imperative that we cultivate healthy eating habit amongst the students not just for today, but because from here, they will moving to the first world in pursuit of the University education, and we wouldn’t want them to feel out of place when a ‘’filet Mignon’’ is on the menu!

It is for this reason that we have come up with what we refer to as the 5 cornerstones against which our food shall be rated:

• Taste: This is by far the most important trait of food. Simply put, our food must taste right.
• Presentation: any food enthusiast will tell you that dining guests ‘eat with their eyes first’. This means that people appreciate what they see first before they eat it.
• Variety: sometimes referred to as ‘coloring one’s plate’ this ensures that there is a bit of everything on the plate, to avoid a dull color but also to tickle the taste buds of the guest.
• Healthy/nutrition option: Simply put, we have to ensure that the students eat what is best for their young and growing bodies.
• Time: Lunch will not be lunch if it’s served at 3pm!

With that said, Fine Foods by Panache has worked out a year on year strategy that will ensure that we have very good connoisseurs of good food when they eventually leave the School…connoisseurs looking out for qualitative dining as opposed to quantitative dining.

In the short run, we have started by improving the taste of the food. We want to ensure that all the students enjoy the food every day and that they look forward to coming to School….if only to enjoy the meals!

Next we are consolidating the variety approach that we started. The idea originally was bento box which is basically a compartmentalized lunch plate. We are building on that, providing salad, 2 starches, 2 proteins (one of which is a meat item) and a dessert.

Once we have consolidated this as well, we shall move towards ‘’Internationalizing’’ our menu, and thereby prepare our students to meet the World.

We also run a Coffee shop, The GrindHouse by Panache. For now, we are selling basic snacks and refreshments. We imagine that in the near future, we shall also delve into catering for the community in which we live, perhaps start producing home baked bread and assorted pastries for the community. 

It might look like a herculean task, but Fine Foods by Panache is putting its best foot forward…preparing to transform the gastronomic and culinary traits of the School community…with Flair!