{"id":15463,"date":"2026-01-08T09:21:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T07:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dineplan.com\/blog\/?p=15463"},"modified":"2026-01-14T15:12:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T13:12:58","slug":"meet-the-storytellers-redefining-african-cuisine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dineplan.com\/blog\/meet-the-storytellers-redefining-african-cuisine\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the storytellers redefining African cuisine"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Blog Post Section” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” locked=”off” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ admin_label=”Introduction” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”0px||20px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Post Nav” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” link_font=”||||on|||RGBA(33,41,69,0.2)|” link_text_color=”#212945″ background_color=”#F4F4F6″ custom_padding=”20px|20px|20px|20px|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

In This Article:<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Tapiwa Guzha<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Siphiwe Sithole<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Jane Nshuti<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    Across three journeys, we explore how African cuisine becomes heritage, identity and connection.<\/p>\n

    African food has always been a keeper of memories; a storyteller long before words were written down. In every household across the continent, flavours have carried feelings, ingredients have carried history, and recipes have carried identity<\/a>. Yet for so long, the wider world did not listen.<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Intro cont.” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”0px||20px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro cont.” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ link_font=”|600|||||||” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

    But today, a new generation is choosing not to whisper. They are choosing to remember out loud through flavour, through farming and through creativity.<\/p>\n

    This article brings three voices together in one space as individuals who are shaping the future of African cuisine in their own powerful ways. Through personal Q&As, they reflect on their work, they share what drives them and hope for the future of African cuisine. <\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Tapiwa Guzha” module_id=”tapi” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”0px||20px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”The story of how Tapi Tapi ” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ link_font=”|600|||||||” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

    Tapiwa Guzha<\/h3>\n
    \n

    First up, meet Tapiwa Guzha, a biologist and ice cream maker, whose work shows that identity isn\u2019t always spoken, sometimes it is tasted in the cool of the tongue.<\/p>\n

    1. What’s the origin story behind Tapi Tapi and its African-inspired flavours?<\/h6>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Tapi Tapi<\/a> started as a fun experiment. I\u2019d been making ice cream since 2008, and by 2018, I decided to start selling small-batch, handmade ice cream. At that time, I was making classic ice cream flavours. The turning point came when I saw snacks from Zimbabwe in a restaurant in Salt River, and it made me curious. I suddenly wondered what would happen if I started incorporating the flavours of my culture into ice cream? So I tried it.<\/p>\n

    It was at that moment when I tasted that first batch, it hit me \u2013\u00a0it was the first time I had experienced ice cream that considered my culture, my history, and my palette. From that point on, I pivoted completely. That\u2019s how Tapi Tapi became what it is today: ice cream that celebrates African heritage through flavour.<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”What does \u201cTapi Tapi\u201d” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ link_font=”|600|||||||” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

    2. What does ‘Tapi Tapi’ mean, and how does it reflect your brand’s mission?<\/h6>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cTapi Tapi<\/em>\u201d means \u201csweet sweet\u201d in Shona. It\u2019s a playful, light-hearted phrase, something very common back home in Zimbabwe. The name speaks to sweetness, of course, which connects directly to what we make. It\u2019s also fun to say \u2013 it rolls off the tongue in a way people remember. The name itself was chosen because of a mission statement, it\u2019s more about my practice of using African words, names and languages in my work. Whatever project I\u2019m doing, I lean on our languages when telling our stories. Naming Tapi Tapi in Shona was simply a continuation of that.<\/p>\n

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    3. When did you realise ice cream could be a tool for cultural expression?<\/h6>\n

    <\/p>\n

    About two months after I started making African-flavoured ice cream, we hosted a tasting menu. I expected people to be impressed by the creativity, but something deeper happened. People from different parts of Africa began connecting over familiar ingredients.<\/p>\n

    What I thought was uniquely Zimbabwean \u2013 Nigerians recognised by a different name, it showed me how much overlap our cultures share. That moment made me realise this isn\u2019t a gimmick; ice cream can connect people to their roots and to each other.<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”How do you balance tradition with innovation” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ link_font=”|600|||||||” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

    4. How do you balance tradition with innovation?<\/h6>\n

    <\/p>\n

    I don\u2019t believe in the idea of \u201cauthentic\u201d or \u201ctraditional\u201d when it comes to culture, as they’re always changing\u00a0\u2013 a tradition can be a thousand years old or a few weeks old. What matters is the meaning people attach to it, not age. I\u2019m not trying to balance tradition and innovation when I work with flavours, I draw inspiration from cultural practices as they exist today. Whether something is old or new isn\u2019t important to me, our foodways have always shifted through migration, conflict, creativity and adaptation, so the idea of a pure, untouched tradition is a myth \u2013 everything is always evolving.<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”What flavors or memories do you find yourself revisiting?” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ link_font=”|600|||||||” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

    5. What flavours or memories do you find yourself revisiting?<\/h6>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Food is seasonal, every year, different things come back naturally, so I cook with what\u2019s around me rather than deciding what I want to cook. If something isn\u2019t in season or not available, I don\u2019t chase or import it \u2013 I\u2019m not interested in forcing ingredients, I work with what\u2019s available. <\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”What were the biggest challenges in launching an unconventional ice cream brand?” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ link_font=”|600|||||||” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

    6. What were the biggest challenges in launching an unconventional ice cream brand?<\/h6>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The biggest challenge with doing something unconventional is always adoption and adaptation. People resist what feels unfamiliar, both from inside and outside the culture. There\u2019s a lot of shame attached to foods that aren\u2019t Eurocentric or seen as \u201crefined,\u201d and that shows up quickly. One of the most difficult things has been seeing some black people dismiss the work, laughing at the idea that African flavours could be worthy of ice cream \u2013 that mindset is hard to confront, because it comes from a deeper struggle with identity.<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”What kinds of conversations do you hope your ice cream sparks?” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ link_font=”|600|||||||” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

    7. What kinds of conversations do you hope your ice cream sparks?<\/h6>\n

    <\/p>\n

    I hope my work output, not just the ice cream, helps people connect with themselves and someone else. I want people to notice the overlap and familiarity between us, even when the differences seem obvious. We tend to think our experiences are separate, but most of us are living a very similar human life. If the ice cream can spark conversations about connection, shared existence and our common ground, instead of distinction and disconnection, then I think it\u2019s doing something meaningful.<\/p>\n

    Tapi shows us that flavour can be a form of connection; a way for people to recognise themselves and sometimes each other, through taste, even when distance and time stretch between them.<\/p>\n

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