 It's just another awesome segment that we are bringing you of course and Leo Nilesi Kuyangu and apparently I'm loving what I'm having on the table but before we even you get to see what I'm having well I'm having other than a beautiful lady you know she's Sharon Gattone and of course she's the founder of the black and white kitchen yes Santisana ever been here no thank you for having me though it's nice to have you man feel so nice so I want us to begin the interview with like I'm looking at the table and so much of it yes we can start there right yes one of the things we do in the black and white kitchen is we offer kitchen services and food meals so we tend to well the motto and the vision is that we source local and serve gourmet in the essence of we source what's local in the market what's come in fresh from the market and the farms and then we now play with them with how we're gonna present them so we'll always use a different cuisine so with this what I've done is I'm taking influence of friend of Moroccan cuisine so this is called Moroccan beef bundles it's yes beef mince then I would have used what I've used it as a pastry is you can actually buy this spring roll pastry but the frozen ones and then I've started in with mince meat Moroccans by stir normally makes myself it has orange zest and then you also cook it out with orange juice inside so it's nice sweet and savory still with a bit of spice the kick to it all right apart and it happens that you also the founder of food media yes cha s Katonia food creative it's for without it's a platform where a part of my training was food media and theater and it presents it's how you you represent or you showcase food in the in the light of any type of media from TV to billboards to well social media is now part of a media aspect so is he at the both the food and of course even the how you bring it both yeah they margin away they do imagine away because you see when I work with farmer they still the same farmer that I'll help showcase how they show what they have in their farms I also end up educating them on fine they have oranges in their farms half of them are not been sold in the in the market they still have them in the trees what else can they do with them what value addition can they do at home to know to have a product you can put out that which can still give them revenue looking at the way you have packed everything yes what god did you see because this is not an industry that has so much of people that have ventured into it no it's more of the aspect of the creative it's how you presented in a creative way we're going to use this aspect of its food you put in a plate and you eat it which should not be the case it should be a journey how I presented to you what is the feel that I'm making you feel it's as simple as if it's a theme you event has a theme what other things example you tell me lion king came out soon so people are attending to everyone's baby shower slash slash king's function is is lion king themes fine they want a whole African theme lion king what when you watch about it it's a Sahara you're seeing trees you're seeing the wild animals what can I put with those elements right put that in how I'm going to serve my food all right I loved it when you said that you used local products have you ever got to go sourcing um to other countries depending on certain things certain some of the things we don't grow in our country so I definitely I'd now have to get some of them in thank god we now have all channels to bring things in the country but then I would now get that in or even or I switch it with something which you have locally which I can use also all right from from these are just a tip of what you do yeah this is some of the things that you have done so far well uh I can do Japanese sushi is one of my favorite things to eat all right but also I can something I wave us with simple things from barbecue grilling which has different techniques you can have America and South barbecue and you can have resilience at two different techniques but still it's still meat related we have which is a goat slaughtered over is goat and then slaughtered and use only salt and water yet in the U.S. there's a lot of barbecue sauces and spices in Brazil they use butter or clarified lard it's those techniques which help give you that one thing but still same meat all of it all right you you have made several mega entries when it comes to the cuisine that you make yes and I've seen you being featured in some of the magazines in the local content yes some local and some um out of within Africa within Africa yes so how how does that make you feel well it I think for me end of the day is I'm representing where I come from one that's one of the things I've always wanted to represent in the country yeah Kenya and my food because it's something you grew up on it's something you grew up seeing but how is it in the modern world in what makes me me add my personality to it can I put it out there for put to enjoy also all right all right all right so now when mentioning such kind of an industry you might have seen a particular guy yes because right now as you mentioned when we are off it's not something that most young people would like to venture into terms of agriculture yeah it's agriculture and food because people think that because I'm a chef your work is just your in a kitchen all day odd it's very odd hours you walk for seven you're always on your feet it's back to back same menu but it's the aspect of what fun new things can you put into it I would definitely advise anyone who's young and is creative it's for me it started as me watching a TV show on TV to me the magazines that you see when you're walking in town the old magazines that you see I saw one for food I think it was a Jimmy Oliver or Martha Stewart's a very it was very old because I remember it was it was like 10 years old older than that time but the recipes I saw in that it was something different from what I'm used to have cooked in the house or I cook in the house or I eat and I was like okay but I can sauce the ingredients yeah what's what is so different about what they're making how is it that they're making the food that way it was the curiosity aspects and it's just I tell you it's a test and error I tested test and error my family trust me they have been eating every single thing I saw I cooked and they ate they had no choice supper or supper that they're the one to test these the first products they're the first testers for everything you make in the house all right which was that one product that you felt like this one is going to give me some good things some good results I think it was the spices because for me it was always the aspect of I like meek and spicy I like using fresh spices I like the way you blend some of when you blend certain spices it'll give you a whole different taste compared to when you add it to this and it's that aspect of blending them together what is the result what can I make it with right and yeah and it's I always love the fact that I feed people with it so I'll just sit out on my clients they're the first people who use it apart from my family and it's always a good feeling when you get feedback when you work on it which is part of product development in food right yeah the graph that is always there for any enterprise usually the demand and supply curve how is the demand and supply for you sometimes it does vary because you find sometimes you have a very big demand but yet your short staffed right or what you can create within a short time or the period of time you're given to create because it tells people right now I work with you people yes but you see there is for food no that's for the kitchen the black and white kitchen and that depends it comes from the aspect of this still the supply and I need to get my supply my supply does not supply me when I can't have the products out and yes my clients what the product you have to I tell you you have to create a good chain of a good chain of supply and also a good chain of food to work with it helps you gets you to the goal you want to achieve and also grow because end of the day you do want to grow it's also growing organically is better than growing in an aspect of a blink because then with organic aspects you'll have your failures and you will learn from them and then you you'll go you'll start back instead of having you go in big you feel and it's a very downfall to go to but yet it's entrepreneurship every curve is a learning thing yeah all right of course mentioning that about entrepreneurship the demand and supply is really really something that is not down at the time yeah how how effective is the is the curve in terms of you the people that you employ uh it it ranges because you see end of the day people are people they're all humans people have the certain things which will happen which they will either enable them to be able to get to be able to serve you to to be able to give you what's the the requirements you need or they won't be able to do so it depends on what you need it also depends on the task in hand the some people who I know I actually work with them just for pastries and pastries alone because that's what they're good for they can understand flour I tell for pastries they're one of the difficult things you can add a few five grams of flour in or out can make a very big difference with how you do things awesome awesome awesome I have a one question for you as a professional chef is it chef or chef or chef chef I don't say I was not that wrong anyway for you as a professional chef uh which is a favorite cuisine it changes the time right now because it's cold I'm moving more to Moroccan this is Moroccan why would you prefer Moroccan food because I think with the weather right now it's spicy but it's not too hot it's it's a balance between sweet and spicy because they use a lot of sweet they use a lot of oranges fruits nuts and then the spices are not too hot and um too hot or or too spicy or chili that is the the very mellow spices but then the and with the aid with the aid of the sweet fruits and nuts helps them balance it out when you say about Moroccan cuisine I'm still thinking about Indian cuisine still relates in some sweet it does in a sense because you see Moroccan well depending on the different parts of it in India they tend to use a lot of the youth they have curries and some of the Moroccan spices also are similar to curry you'll actually find use similar ingredients but the quantities are different all right yes how would you rate the market that you guys you all you have you have right now how is the market right now and if probably I wanted to venture into it well it's still a new concept because one of the things I realize is that um as Kenyans we are very certain I still I will still it's the same ok more that my mother makes with how she makes it to a point of like I can make moqibah but has is just much better it's about education educating people's pilots telling them this is what you can make with what you have and people also teaching people to be more experimental so they also are able to adapt and to enjoy this cuisine so what do you do it's all about your passion yes I love it because I get to change the menu I get to create every time every menu I make is not the same I always give people new menus I always create so I'm always in the kitchen testing out something new you're always in the kitchen testing something new yes if it works then work well then we find a way to we come up with a new product or we come up with a new dish so how do you sell this product so for this right now actually I can say I'm blessed is uh I've actually all on most of majority of my work is through word of mouth actually is word of mouth and people eating my food so I'll do a function people will be there they'll eat my food and the experience of what they're gonna have when I'm serving food and that is what they'll actually will they'll actually give me a call of like I ate your food in this place or I had about you from this and I want you to do my function and then I work with them because I always tell people it's a partnership it's not that you tell me I want food this day this and that's it it's what is the type of function that you have in what is the mood is this a dinner yes okay fine what is also the type of food you expect in you know that is actually something which is very key do you have any dietary requirements do you have any foods that you that you want to require you can have a client I had I have a client who for her she's like I always know every year Canadian thanks to giving is a must I have to now start sourcing maple syrup from where God knows but then I have to come up recipes right because you see there's certain things you're giving I tell people food is an experience that you have but when you eat something like what your grandmother made what do you remember those like what the the motion that it takes you it's a right that it takes you that's what I want to do with food I think well which is very true food is a very important thing with our health and it's about where is our food coming from and that's one of the series I've been doing is that where which where are we getting our food yes we we're in such a busy world where you get your food from the corner shop but then where does that's way that that lady at the corner store gets her food from what chemicals have they been used then also how we cook and what type of type of foods are we eating we live such a like how many for each chips on a week basis it's simple things how and the cooking methods we'll find that's what we used to eat simple things like boiling and frying using less oils using good oils also it's all those small factors which we need to go back to which are the traditional things which are our which our ancestors used to do is actually something which we might actually end up going back to because that's actually what's gonna give us it's gonna give us a boost in health so your urge that we need to go back to the tbt we need to go somehow back to the tbt but then also we need to know where our food is coming from and we need to stick to healthier sources of food you can't be having fried foods that's another source of that you can't be having a lot of food we have a lot of pros and preservatives do you think do you think there's there's a there's so much of impact when we talk about the chemicals that we intake yes that is definitely one thing that is a factor um simple thing as even fish if our lake is polluted in the same way it's in the same fish from the lake then we'll pollute our bodies all right that's what's gonna happen so chemicals are the first impact that we have chemicals yes and also our lifestyle also all right many thanks for that let's not come to the cake yes so what's what is its component and what is the recipe for this so this is an orange cake um it's an orange but it's an orange spiced cake and then on top I put a glaze and then I just what I had done is these are oranges are the pixies because that's all it's in season right now um I just sliced them up I I did a sugar syrup with spices or whole spices I can see I have whole cinnamon here right I have some cardamom and some cloves and I just boiled the cardamom help for cardamom yes no it's just it gives you a fragrant aspect but also it does have it does have soothing soothing feelings and it helps with your health all right and it's just it gives you it gives the spice it's spices also people normally say spices are actually medicine which is true certain spices are actually good like ginger when it's cold you have a flu that's first thing you go to all right it helps with boost your immune some spices also give you that that feeling of comfort right now it's cold so imagine a nice spiced cake with a cup of tea all right that's all I can say and that's what I normally think of it's cold what is the one thing that my clients would need or I need if I can't eat it then why would I serve it with you all right so it first of all begins with you all right it always begins with you all right um yes that what I did I just I sliced the oranges and I cooked them in the syrup which is in here and then I just used them to decorate because now it's edible so end of the day I don't have any wastage in this orange the peels are still there some of the seeds are still that good but then also because you've cooked it out it helps make a gel it delizes the syrup all right because of time let me ask if probably someone ready to begin what you're doing yeah how much do you think probably they need what what are some of the prerequisites they need I think you can easily start from home home without what do you what you have in your home like that's that's where I started I started I decided the idea I said looking around I saw what people are what's what's what is out there we have thank god nowadays everyone has a smartphone it's I think it's a necessary aspect of life um what are you reading about food I tell people if you go on my phone or my laptop the only thing you will see is food related from what are the what are the trends of food happening what is the new so-called new ingredients that is in the that is in the culinary market it's educating yourself equip yourself with knowledge all right once you have the knowledge which is free nowadays fine if you have a phone and you have that it's free and then taking that knowledge applying it to what you have you need to adapt it to what you have all right because of time I just ask one question yes do you think social media has but positive or negative impact on young people it depends with it's a very I think there's a positive aspect because it has opened up people to know what's to see what's happened in the rest of the world and we get we no longer feel like we're just an island we're now we're part of the world but um I think it's positive yeah so for you for you think like social media should be like it has it's positive and negative but then if people stick to the positivity aspect and also I think it's a self-control so just what you post what you read how does it how does it impact you it helps like with businesses it's one thing which has helped it's one of the campaigns that I'm doing with farms I'm teaching for yes you can go to our farm all right and get your things all right all right because of time I want you to give us your parting shots oh wow I think with when it comes to food I tell people like with food is so many rangers you can do products you can do images you can cook but I think you stick to what you love educate yourself and you'll be good at what you do all right thanks for coming along thank you so much appreciate many thanks for keeping it wide two five four it has been such a moment and such a nice time and of course right after these I'll be taking these so work at home and they mean upon a situation happen and of course everyone known is here even known even in the camera and it may not be too easy anyway it has been such a nice time and of course having it from 7 a.m. or through to 10 a.m. join us once again tomorrow morning tomorrow it's Queens Wednesday it has been entrepreneurship Tuesday my name is Karanja Alex see ya