Fondly referring to their home country as the ‘Land of a thousand hills’, Judith and her business partners Winnie and Theresa are originally from Rwanda in Africa. Their passion for food stems from the many African women in their families, who would always be cooking up a storm for their friends and wider communities. Culturally in Rwanda, food isn’t only to satisfy your appetite, instead it’s a way of showing your appreciation, love, and connection to others.

Having now lived in New Zealand for almost 20 years, Judith, Winnie and Theresa started Taste of Rwanda to stay connected to their roots and introduce Kiwis to their culture. Many Rwandan’s living in rural areas grow beans and spinach in their backyards, which is why Judith and the team have chosen to focus on these ingredients as they are staple, healthy foods eaten often in Rwanda. The traditional dishes they currently offer include Brochettes (Beef Skewers), Ibishyimbo (Beans in a curry sauce), Imboga (a spinach-based curry dish), Ubugali (a type of dough made using semolina flour), Chappati (flat bread) and salad, and they are developing an extended catering menu to showcase the variety of their food for events.

With support from her team, Judith joined the Kitchen Project get a better understanding of how to integrate into the food industry in NZ. Judith found the step-by-step process around food safety and legally operating a food business, as well as learnings around menu pricing and accounting, to be really useful in building their business foundation. “Being honest, without The Kitchen Project we would never have the food business.” A highlight for Judith has been the inspirational guest speakers who shared their experiences navigating through the local food industry.

Judith, Winnie and Theresa’s ultimate goal is to eventually have a Taste of Rwanda restaurant, where their customers can come and connect over good food and music. Currently you can find them at the Te Puna market in Henderson every Saturday and the monthly Kumeu market. You can also follow Taste of Rwanda on Instagram.