Story by Jerold Sasa, Mashonaland East Bureau Chief
THE cultural diversity of Mashonaland East Province was on display this Tuesday as participants showcased their cooking skills at the provincial cookout competition at Kotwa High in Mudzi.
It was food galore at Kotwa in Mudzi as women from Mashònaland East showcased their cooking skills at the cookout competition, which drew participants from the province’s nine districts.
Ms Emmah Chikamhi from Goromonzi emerged as the winner and is confident of clinching the national title at the finals set for Chinhoyi on the 16th of this month.
“I’m confident of winning in Chinhoyi and l want to thank Amai for affording us this platform,” said Chikamhi.
The other participants including runner-up and Chief Mutoko’s wife thanked the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa for coming up with the initiative.
“Our traditional foods were under threat from extinction but they have now been revived by this competition,” states a contestant.
“As a young generation, we were abandoning our traditional foods but we are happy we are back to our culture,” pointed out another participant.
Mashonaland East province was commended for embracing the programme and using locally available resources.
“Since the start of the programme, Mashonaland East has been a prominent feature at the national finals, which shows the seriousness the province attaches to the event,” noted Mashonaland East Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Senator Aplonia Munzverengwi.
The cookout competition is the brainchild of the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa who launched it in 2020 before handing it to the Ministry of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality industry.
