Former NAN Editor Inaugurates Homebaze African Cuisine in South Africa

Foremost African restaurant group in South Africa, Homebaze African Cuisine, is set to open an outlet in June, this year, in Johannesburg’s Sandton City, one of the largest retail complexes on the African continent.

Founder of the Homebaze group, Kenn Ayere said this would be the first time authentic African meals would be served in Africa’s richest square-mile-and-a-half top mall.

Located in the Legacy Corner section of the Complex, Hombaze African Cuisine, which was established in 2003, has been in the forefront of promoting traditional African meals in South Africa.

Ayere, a former Bureau Chief of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Southern Africa, said he was delighted at the opening of the new branch in Sandton City which is the busiest mall in the country and a major tourist destination.

According to him, “Nelson Mandela square is the heart and pulse of financial power and glamour in Africa’s richest square, where tourists are drawn to visit the statue of the global icon Nelson Mandela located at the square.”

He said that Hombaze was set up to, among other things, provide Africans and tourists with traditional African delicacies in upmarket environments.

Ayere stated that Chinese, French, Italians, Portuguese, Greeks and others have exported their meals to virtually all parts of the world and wondered the reasons African meals should be found mostly in run down parts of town, indecent places and served in unhygienic environments.

He said that since its inception, Hombaze had hosted top government functionaries, Royals and celebrities from across the world. He also declared that the it enjoys top ten rating of African restaurants in South Africa.

“We remain the only African restaurant that serves meals from the different regions on the African continent. Our client base is quite broad and varied. We serve a broad variety of Nigerian dishes and people from diverse backgrounds have developed a great liking for meals like Egusi, Dodo and Jollof rice’’ said the journalist-turned-entrepreneur.

He commended the Legacy management for granting the Homebaze group a retail space in the prestigious complex, saying it confirms the acceptability of the brand in the country. He pointed out that Africa has the best meals compared to the offerings from other continents.

Ayere appealed to the Nigerian government to ease the exportation of raw food items to South Africa, to meet the needs of the increasing population of Nigerians in the country and assist African food chains succeed in business.

He recalled that Hombaze African Cuisine had been honoured by the Nigerian Tourism Development Commission under Otunba Gbenga Runsewe for promoting Nigerian cuisine in the Diaspora as well as the South African government for being an entity owned by a foreign national that is contributing to national development, among others.

According to him, Hombaze has established outlets in parts of Johannesburg and the capital city, Pretoria, since its inception 15 years ago.

Related Articles