“We’re going to use what we have”
Of the many times Batiraishe "Bee" Zhou has recognized the impacts of colonialism on culture, a trip for groceries in particular offered food for thought.
At a popular store in Edmonton, she found a tiny bag of nuts from the baobab tree, which grows in Zimbabwe, southern Africa, where she grew up. Soaked in milk, they produce a healthy yogurt. Zhou (Culinary Arts ’23) was pleased to see them in Canada, but shocked by the price tag of nearly $20.
“This grows in my backyard for nothing and we’ve been eating it for generations,” Zhou mused. “And then I thought: ‘We’ve had it right all along.’”
It was a profound moment for the chef. Zimbabwe was among Africa’s first colonized countries, in this case by the British in the 1880s, and the effect was damaging and repressive. “Things that we were told were wrong or bad or backward or uncivilized were actually not,” says Zhou. Some elements of culture went uncelebrated because of that – but not forgotten.
Today, as a consultant for restaurants in Rwanda, East Africa, Zhou is encouraging cooks to remember.
“Celebrating African ingredients is really about reclaiming,” she says. “If I hadn’t come to Canada, or left Africa, I don’t think that I would be in this position of appreciating and recognizing this.”
The value of local ingredients
Zhou has always been interested in food; she’s seen the good it can do. Her grandmother ate very simply and “lived off the land,” she says, raising chickens, goats and vegetables, using no pesticides or GMOs (the latter simply being too expensive).
“She is 108 and still has all her teeth.”
Zhou arrived in North America in the mid-2000s. While studying communications in the U.S., she worked in food and hospitality, a side gig she’d later seek to formalize at NAIT. Initially, Zhou had considered returning to Zimbabwe from the States. Her dad discouraged her, however, given unrest in the country at the time.
Zhou headed north on the advice of Canadian friends, first to Toronto, then to Alberta to find work. But a culinary education struck her as a way to address a persisting desire. “I realized that I wanted to go back home,” says Zhou, “to the continent.”
Her chance soon came, partly because of her NAIT education. While that didn’t focus on ingredients she’d been missing – such as pomegranate, sweet potato, myriad herbs and spices – it gave her kitchen fundamentals, plating techniques, menu planning skills and more.
When Zhou connected with a resort owner during a trip to Kigali, Rwanda in 2023, he said he wanted to teach his staff those fundamentals. He’d be the first client of what became her consulting and catering company, GastroTribe Culinary.
In addition to staging meals and events, Zhou’s company began to grow on a simple premise: ease up on the pasta and anything else that might be thought (possibly erroneously) to appeal to visitors from abroad. The value of local ingredients shouldn’t be overlooked, she insisted.
“We’re going to use what we have,” was Zhou’s motto. “If we need to add on or fuse things, we can do that. But we’re going to start here.”
The draw of the continent
Zhou has two children who are Canadian citizens, firmly connecting her to the country. She returns often but doesn't stay long. While Zhou could apply her skills to growing the Alberta community of African restaurants, she’s drawn back to the continent instead, where she feels she can be more impactful.
While Zhou doesn’t believe African cuisine would be validated by inclusion in the Michelin Guide, she feels that the current exclusion – of a continent of 54 countries – points to at least two opportunities for improvement. One, the West could stop ignoring the food community in Africa. Two, chefs could get better at self-promotion.
“It’s up to us as African chefs to do this, to get everyone excited and engaged,” says Zhou.
She’s convinced there is much to celebrate, from health benefits to a cornucopia of flavours that offers her new discoveries with every trip to a local market. With efforts in decolonization underway in many parts of the world, “We need to go back now,” says Zhou, and embrace all that the continent has to offer.
She feels she has a unique role to play in that. “I’ve had exposure to both sides,” she says. Over time, each has shone a light on the other.
“Food really is a connection to who we are. It’s bigger than just filling your belly. It tells you a lot about your identity and where we come from,” Zhou says.
“If we can get back to that, I think we can move forward very differently, and hold onto that, and pass it on.”