Bulk cooking technology company launched in capital

An innovative high-tech food preparation facility, called Your Kitchen, recently opened in Windhoek, hoping to change the cuisine landscape.

Your Kitchen prepares food in bulk for clients, including large food consumers like hotels, restaurants and lodges.

Operations manager Denzel Bezuidenhout says the team at Your Kitchen is driven by a passion for the food industry and is known for its technological approach to solving problems.

He says the company’s purpose is to cut down on the time restaurants and hotels take to prepare food.

The kitchen production idea came about five years ago from Italian founders Paolo Scoffone and Paola Francesconi, Bezuidenhout says.

“Our food experience models are aimed at providing our clients with the menu of their choice.

Thanks to cutting-edge technologies and a team of skilled professionals, the perfect dishes come to life,” he says.

“We source the finest raw materials at the freshest moment and transform them into dishes. Once ordered, we deliver the culinary delights to our customers,” Bezuidenhout says.

One of Your Kitchen’s founders, Ettore la Carrubba, says: “Our mission will be to work with the large industry to create an experience which will be the talk of the place where clients find themselves.

“We will try to develop raw materials, recipes, colours and dishes that speak about the place to complete the beautiful wilderness experience the country offers.”

La Carrubba says the company makes use of imported training and culture, machinery and high-tech prepared dishes that can be regenerated fast to avoid waiting long after placing an order.

Director Alice Rigoldi says some of the main cooking technologies include thermostatic circulators, steam ovens, blast chillers and vacuum machines.

“Our approach and methods are inspired by efficiency and respect for the environment, while elevating food quality and increasing profitability,” she says.

Rigoldi says the company expects to employ about 50 people at its current establishment, and hopes to expand this to 100.

Five local and international food dishes were prepared at the opening event and were served by student chefs from Silver Spoon Hospitality Academy.

The opening of Your Kitchen was welcomed by the executive director of strategy and branding at the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, Margaret Gustavo.

She said: “As an organisation our aim is to attract investment to the country, to promote Namibia as an investment destination, and to facilitate skills development aligned to specific investments.”

The Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade’s director of trade promotion, Sakues Kapenda, said Your Kitchen is a commendable investment.

“We are operating in an interconnected global economy that is governed by trading systems, which calls for non-discrimination between the same products and services of other members states in our domestic economy.

“The new technology for food production will contribute to Namibia’s cuisine both for locals, tourists and lodging facilities, as well as create employment,” he said.

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