By Winnie Adeyemi, Director, AFRICA: Seen & Heard
Throughout Black History Month 2022, the theme for which is Time for Change: Action not Words, AFRICA: Seen & Heard and the Sustainable Restaurant Association have gathered the stories of Black-British foodservice providers across the country.
Reducing and repurposing food waste, ensuring carbon neutrality and feeding communities well were found to be within the DNA of their food heritages as much as their brand missions.
We shine a spotlight on some of the business owners interviewed. Their unique insights provide the Food Made Good Community with food for thought and commercial exploration:
The Seychelles, an Indian Ocean archipelago of 115 islands is Africa’s smallest country. An estimated 98,000 citizens live across eight main islands.
Seychellois cuisine features local fish, fruit and spices and is influenced by East Africa, Great Britain, China, India and Spain.
The nation’s global diaspora is small, and its unique cuisine is underrepresented internationally. London’s Kaz Kreol and Bournemouth’s Seychelles Gastronomy were popular restaurants serving authentic Creole cuisine.
There are currently no Seychellois restaurants operating in the UK. Thankfully Chloe Pothin, the owner of Seysouls Kitchen keeps the island’s culinary traditions alive and thriving.
She was an integral part of the Seychelles’ gastro-diplomacy presentation at the National Geographic Traveller Food Festival at London’s Business Design Centre in July 2022.
As a private chef and caterer, Chloe supports her community by delivering authentic Seychellois cuisine at their events and aims to provide employment opportunities within her own restaurant one day. She currently hosts restaurant pop-ups and on Sundays a range of diverse customers flock to her East London street food stall.
Chloe shared some insights into her success as a sustainable foodservice provider. She contributes to society by feeding people well with a distinctly Seychellois flavour:
“Seychelles cuisine consists of a lot of fish dishes which are usually cooked several ways from grilling, steamed, salted and smoked. You will also find a nice curry on the islands. A lot of these dishes are accompanied with rice, chutneys and salads.
“You can find a range of freshly made chutneys in the islands, such as pumpkin chutney, aubergine chutney, bitter gourd chutney and papaya chutney. The chutneys consist of fresh green fruit or vegetables, grated and mixed with some spices and oil.
“Seychellois food has some dishes that give us nutrients such as lentils. The locals usually use a small orange one or green lentils, it is good for protein and fibre and has benefits for the heart, as it consists of folic acid, fibre and potassium. Lentils have other benefits too.”
Seysouls Kitchen’s inspires foodservice providers to source their fish responsibly and cook it in healthier ways. You can also consider the nutritional value and health benefits of each raw ingredient when creating a new recipe. Chutneys provide a delicious way to prevent food waste by transforming imperfect vegetables or overripe fruit into value-adding condiments that compliment signature or new menu dishes.
You can check out the sustainability stories of three more Black British foodservice providers here.
Seysouls Kitchen:
Chatsworth Road Market, Lower Clapton, London E5 0LH (Sundays,10:00 – 16:00).
Instagram: @seysoulskitchen Facebook: Seysoulskitchen
Email: [email protected] Telephone: + 44 (0)7535 115947
