The Mombasa Cook-Off

Published On: May 27th, 2019

Mombasa in the month of Ramadhan comes alive in the night, especially the last 10 days. People go out to shop for marking the end of Ramadhan called Eid. Shops stay open till late, shoppers bargaining for latest trends and designs. The streets are adorned with lights to create a sense of festiveness. There various reasons for the night shopping, one is due to the fact people are fasting it would be difficult to shop during the day time and second for those working can have an opportunity to shop for their kids and family after work.

To promote the night shopping and food culture in Mombasa, multi-talented Salim Swaleh also known as Elcaboos hosted a cook-off at Rizza Smoothies in collaboration with his food joint Kaybees foodJoint. The cook-off was scheduled on Tuesday 21st, 2019 at 9:30pm. The cook-off was between three leaders from Mombasa: Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir, MCA Ahmed Nyundo and Swahilipot Hub patron/Red Cross Chairman Mahmood Noor. The event kicked-off at 10:30 pm with the contestant given a drink to try and then replicate the same drink with the different ingredients that were presented to them. Each contestant were given 20 minutes to complete the task. The judges: Chef Ali Mandhry, Chef Adil Rajan and Chief Officer Farah Mohamed (Department of Youth, Gender, Sports and Culture) gave their verdict after trying each contestant’s attempt. The winners from the first round was Mvita Mp Abdulswamad and Mentor Mahmood Noor. For the second attempt, the secret ingredient was Chicken, potato crisps, mango and tamarind extract. They had to prepare the full chicken into a meal and they were given the option to grill or cook it. Both contestant worked tirelessly to create a tasty meal, both of them opted to grill their chicken. After they both made the sauce and chicken, they plated and presented to the judges once more. The judges judged each contestants based on taste, use of ingredients and presentation. After deliberation the judges made their decision and the winner announced. From his setting to taste and preparation the winner was Abdulswamad shariff Nassir. The host thanked everyone who helped plan and participate in the event.

The event is the beginning of events that will challenge different people and celebrate the Mombasa food culture.

Sights and sounds from the Cook-off: