The 25-year-old hails from the rural village of Isenye in Serengeti District, Mara Region and is one of the 16 students, nine men and seven women presently undertaking a chef training course at the new school for cookery.
The modern school for chefs has been established by Singita Grumeti to train young men and women so they may be able to secure employment in the hospitality industry across the country, particularly those found within the Serengeti ecosystem.
This generally is good news for local youth who have been complaining that they do not get jobs at the tourists hotels, with investors citing lack of qualifications. The beneficiary students are from villages from Serengeti and Bunda districts.
“I could not have been happier than being here at the Singita Serengeti School of Cooking. We are doing tests and practical sessions every day. Cooking different foods in different methods,” Matera told the ‘Daily News’ at visit to their school recently.
“I’m dreaming of becoming a seasoned chef and wish to look for an opportunity to work in foreign countries like Asia and America. My first choice however, is to work at the Singita lodges,” the young man who completed his ‘O’ Level at Rigicha Secondary School in 2010 added.
Torani Torani (21), another first year student doing the same course said he was studying what he had dreamed of when he was at Natta Secondary Shool in 2013. “I have waited to get this opportunity (chef course) for so long and I am very happy and proud to be here ( Singita Serengeti School of Cooking). People have a misconception that a chef’s work does not pay income but that is very wrong. It is profitable, Torani, a resident of Natta village said.
Natta is one of the nearest villages to Singita Grumeti operational areas. On her part, Monica Makhum (18) from Rwamchanga village also in Serengeti District said Singita Serengeti School of Cooking offers a chef training course that goes beyond their expectations.
“We are seeing real things but in other colleges students are seeing only photos on the books,” we have known many names of food cooked in different styles like fried cake fish. They have teaching facilities like a projector. This is indeed a nice school for chefs,” Monica who said wants to become a role model in her family and society she comes from said.
Mr Frank Louw, the Incharge of Singita Serengeti School of Cooking said the school was opened in July 2015 in response to problems experienced in getting qualified chefs from the local villages.
“As a company (Singita Grumeti) we saw the need for establishing the chefs school instead of hiring staff from afar. We did the same thing in South Africa for the same reason,” Mr Frank explained to the ‘Daily News’ .
Mr Frank who is also the head of chefs at Singita Grumeti lodges is happy that the Tanzanian students are taking the advantage of the school by working so hard to achieve their dreams. “The students are hard working and driven and committed.
They want to be great chefs not only in Tanzania,” he pointed out. Singita Grumeti, Mr Frank said is spending around 4,500 US dollars( about eight million shillings) to sponsor each student to study the course which takes 18 months. Graduation for second year students which is the first intake he said is expected to take place first week of February next year (2017), according to him.
“After graduating the students would have an opportunity to apply for jobs at Singita and anywhere. We wanted them to study and achieve their dreams,” he said.
Dedicated to environmentally conscious hospitality, sustainable conservation and the empowerment of local communities, Singita, meaning “place of miracles,” was founded in 1993 with a single lodge in South Africa, but now is the custodian of a million acres of land and manages 12 lodges and camps across Africa.
Singita Grumeti in Tanzania operates Singita Sasakwa Lodge, Faru Faru Lodge, Sabora Tented Camp, Explore, Serengeti House all located in the Grumeti reserves, and Mara River Tented Camp located in the Lamai triangle.
The Singita Grumeti Fund operates and manages Singita’s conservation and community projects across the 350,000 acres of Singita Grumeti, making a difference in the lives of people living and working in and around the reserves.
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