16 to Battle for the Silver Hat



Welcome to the Gorilla Highlands archives. For fresh stories don't miss the Gorilla Highlands Experts Blog.

Dishes made at GH Silverchef 2015-2017; photo by Jiro Ose, Abby Bluth, Enock Luyonza

The wait is over… 16 brave chefs will represent 16 great establishments from 3 amazing countries at Gorilla Highlands Silverchef 2018. Yes, most excitingly, the Democratic Republic of Congo will join the competition for the very first time! The weight to represent this great nation will be carried by Ihusi Hotel from Goma, while the host country of Rwanda will have 8 representatives and 7 Ugandan lodges and hotels will complete the list:

BirdNest Resort, Lake Bunyonyi
Bourbon Coffee, Kigali
Bunyonyi Overland Resort, Lake Bunyonyi
Cephas Inn, Kabale
Grand Legacy Hotel, Kigali
Hakuna Matata Lodge, Gisenyi
Ihusi Hotel, Goma
Isange, Musanze
Katara Lodge, Queen Elizabeth NP
Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, Gisenyi
Marriott, Kigali
ParkInn by Radisson, Kigali
Pearl of Africa Hotel, Kampala
Protea Hotel, Kampala
Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Bwindi NP
Virunga Lodge, Volcanoes NP

Making friends at GH Silverchef 2017; photo by Enock Luyonza

The GH Silverchef 2018 venue, the five-star Kigali Marriott Hotel, has a strategic location allowing convenient access from all three countries. This will be a gathering like no other, attracting tourism, conservation, media and development professionals from across the Gorilla Highlands region (contact us if you wish to get an invitation). Namely, GH Silverchef is not only about feasting and showcasing the top cuisine of the transboundary region, it is an occasion to engage top stakeholders.

A little competition mixed with teamwork is simply the perfect networking environment! As investors, directors, general managers and other senior representatives sample competitors food on 28 April 2018, vital matters concerning the region will be discussed. The main question is always the same: how to best promote our amazing region for the sake of its social and economic development?

Competitor in action and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Thome judging at GH Silverchef 2017; photo by Enock Luyonza

But let us not forget the main stars… The chefs will be grouped into two shifts; one batch will face the heat in the morning, the other in the afternoon. And, mind you, this may be the first true challenge in the four-year history of GH Silverchef: unlike the previous years the competitors will not know what ingredients are awaiting them! They will prepare a two-course meal for the panel of five judges headed by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Thome.

We will use the coming month to introduce all 16 competing chefs on the Gorilla Highlands Twitter stream. The general public is invited to join us at the Marriott on 29 April 2018 to see who will receive the ultimate status symbol: the GH Silverchef silver hat.

GH Silverchef winners 2015-2017; photo by Jiro Ose, Abby Bluth, Enock Luyonza
Gorilla Highlands Silverchef 2018 sponsors and partners

text: Isabelle Masozera