The Pioneer: Chef Dieuveil Malonga on the Diversity of African Cuisine

Using his Rwandan restaurant as a laboratory of sorts, Chef Dieuveil Malonga is continually experimenting with new flavors from varied African cuisines. His resulting Afro-fusion palate delighters are getting rave reviews and earning him acclaim as potentially the most creative chef in Africa. At his restaurant, Meza Malonga, in the Rwandan capital, he uses ingredients from cassava leaves to sorghum, and draws on cultures including Bantu and Xhosa for a regularly changing Afro-fusion menu that might include plantain-stuffed ravioli or mango sorbet with potato foam. But this chef’s top priority isn’t simply putting together interesting flavours — it’s to raise the profile of African gastronomy. Since launching in 2016, the platform has grown to represent 4,000 chefs, and has earned support from the World Tourism Organisation and UNESCO, with which Malonga has run events. He’s also been recognised by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants for his efforts: in 2021 he was listed among the organisation’s ‘50 Next’ as an ‘Empowering Educator’, and in 2022 was named its Champion of Change for his efforts in nurturing African culinary talent.

SOURCE: NATIONAL GEOGRPAHIC