A young chef from Zimbabwe shows how small starts can lead to big success. Buhlebenkosi Nkala learned food skills at a training school in Insiza District. Her path led her to a food contest at the United Nations.
Nkala came from Umzingwane District. She studied at Phangani School from 2015 to 2017. She earned top marks in her class.
Today, she runs events and makes special foods. Her firm, Kosiben Organics, sells jams from local fruits like umviyo and baobab. She told new students at Phangani about her path to success.
"The school gave me many useful skills," Nkala said. She learned about food care, guest needs, and teamwork. These lessons helped her run her work well.
Nkala started small after school. She worked free jobs to learn more. These jobs helped her meet people in food work. She saw that people wanted more local foods. This made her start her jam business.
Her work grew through social media and food shows. She attended big events like the World Tourism Show, and her jams appeared at farm shows and food fairs.
People see her good work. Groups picked her for the Best New Maker award. Through a trade group, she learned about sending Zimbabwean foods to other lands.
Last year, 963 young people finished training at five schools in her area. Nkala tells them they must use their skills. "Keep learning or make money with what you know," she says.
Nkala proves that small school starts can grow into real success. Her story shows young people they can build good work lives with basic training and hard trying.
Nkala came from Umzingwane District. She studied at Phangani School from 2015 to 2017. She earned top marks in her class.
Today, she runs events and makes special foods. Her firm, Kosiben Organics, sells jams from local fruits like umviyo and baobab. She told new students at Phangani about her path to success.
"The school gave me many useful skills," Nkala said. She learned about food care, guest needs, and teamwork. These lessons helped her run her work well.
Nkala started small after school. She worked free jobs to learn more. These jobs helped her meet people in food work. She saw that people wanted more local foods. This made her start her jam business.
Her work grew through social media and food shows. She attended big events like the World Tourism Show, and her jams appeared at farm shows and food fairs.
People see her good work. Groups picked her for the Best New Maker award. Through a trade group, she learned about sending Zimbabwean foods to other lands.
Last year, 963 young people finished training at five schools in her area. Nkala tells them they must use their skills. "Keep learning or make money with what you know," she says.
Nkala proves that small school starts can grow into real success. Her story shows young people they can build good work lives with basic training and hard trying.
