KISORO’S TRAVELLERS REST HOTEL NAMED AS VENUE FOR SOUTH WEST UGANDA’S FIRST EVER SILVERCHEF COMPETITION
(Posted 12th November 2015)
Uganda’s south west, the border triangle with Rwanda and Congo, is well known around the world as THE mountain gorilla habitat. In fact, Uganda has not one but two gorilla national parks, the better known Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mt. Mgahinga National Park, which is shared with both neighbours. This region of Uganda has in recent years made great strides in establishing itself as one of the country’s prime tourism locations and Miha Logar of Gorilla Highlands fame has played an instrumental role in accomplishing this.
Hiking trails, including trails using dugout canoes across Lake Bunyonyi near the town of Kabale, were established and now criss cross this part of Uganda often referred to as the Switzerland of Africa.
The Travellers Rest Hotel in Kisoro, frequented in the old days but such eminent gorilla researchers like Diane Fossey or Walter Baumgaertel remains a crowd favourite in the heart of town but new resorts around in particular Lake Mutanda have sprung up over the past years, reflecting the growing demand for quality accommodation.
The Chameleon Hill Lodge is just one of many as is the higher up Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, giving visitors many options vis a vis budget and location.
Miha, ever keen to promote a part of Uganda he proudly calls his home, earlier in the year floated the idea to launch a chef competition to enhance and improve culinary quality in the lodges, camps, resorts and hotels and all his hard work to promote the event are now leading to the 21st of this month, when at the Travellers Rest 10 chefs from the south west will don their hats, tie their aprons and wield their cooking spoons as they partake in the competition.
The Travellers Rest is a Gold Sponsor of the event, providing accommodation for the competition team including the judges, with this correspondent as Chief Judge, who will fly courtesy of Air Kenya’s Ugandan sister company Aerolink from Entebbe to Kisoro. The hotel’s kitchen will be a beehive of activity as the ten chefs will cook their hearts out, using local ingredients to produce mouthwatering dishes.
SILVERCHEF 2015 INGREDIENTS
Meat: rabbit and bacon
Vegetables: dodo, beans, fresh peas, onions, garlic, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green peppers, avocadoes, chilli pepper, cauliflowers
Fruits: pineapples, apples, passion fruits, yellow bananas
Basics: wheat flour, maize flour, sugar, eggs, milk, oil, g-nuts, olive oil, rice, salt, pepper, chilli, butter, honey
Competitors come from such fancied places like WildAfrica’s Clouds lodge, Mahogany, Chameleon, Volcanoes Mt. Mgahinga Lodge, the Haven from Buhoma, Cephas Inn and Bunyonyi Overland to name but a few. The competition will reduce the chefs to a final shortlist of just five and the judges will after the dinner then decide who will be crowned South Western Uganda’s first ever ‘Silverchef – the name drawn from the dominant silverback gorillas.
The competition will give the opportunity to return to South West Uganda to experience the various new hospitality businesses but also sample some of the hikes and new trails, including the ‘Batwa Experience’ which pays tribute to one of Uganda’s most mysterious forest tribes.
For more information about this part of Uganda click on www.gorillahighlands.com or check out the official websites of Uganda Tourism and the Uganda Wildlife Authority at www.visituganda.com and www.ugandawildlife.org
