Darlington: Food connoisseur taking Tanzanian unique cuisine to Malawi

Rarely celebrated or spotlighted are numerous stories of courageous countrymen and women that are now coming to light.

A holder of a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Human Resources specialist, Darlington, also known as ‘Queen Sheba,’ has revolutionised Lilongwe’s culinary experience for five years now.

A globetrotter chose to settle in Malawi in the capital city, Lilongwe.

“I have worked in South Africa, China, Dubai, and the US, but I was lastly appointed to Lilongwe and when I saw an opportunity to make it as a restaurateur, I terminated my employment and chose to stay and open up the food joint,” she elaborated.

Her Ergo restaurant, which is located in the Golden Peacock Building in Lilongwe’s city centre, is frequented by people from all over the world.

Surrounded by multiple embassies and the renowned Malawian Pastor Bushiri church, her restaurant has become the go-to place for international visitors and locals alike.

During her stay in Lilongwe, she noticed how challenging it was for her and other expatriates to find a good food spot.

 Furthermore, the restaurants would close as early as 3:00 pm. Many expatriates couldn’t find the food they liked.

Being foreigners, they yearned for their local cuisines.

This observation made her realise she could fill that void. Darlington, who never stepped foot in a culinary school, has always had an inherent love for cooking, and growing up, her mum would leave a pot full of beans on the stove and ask her to watch that it doesn’t burn.

Unbeknownst to her, the responsibilities she shouldered as a young girl provided her with the invaluable experience that would later make her one of the most sought-after Swahili and East African cuisine chefs in Lilongwe.

A person well-travelled Darlington chose to stay in Malawi because the opportunities for a lucrative culinary business were too great to ignore.

She saw the huge potential and opportunity, and the love for chapati in Malawi is immense.

They have developed a deep appreciation for the delights of Tanzanian cuisine.

“I have to limit the amount of chapati orders I get because it gets to a point where they order a lot, more than 100 in a day. It gets overwhelming, and I don’t want to water down the quality of my food, so I take what we can handle in a day and still have the best chapatis for my clients,” she said.

Her clientele extends to the Senegalese, American, Western African, and South African expatriates residing in Lilongwe.

The high demand for her services has resulted in her reaching out to Tanzanian chefs back home, who are well versed in cooking Swahili food, which comes with its challenges, like the language barrier with the Malawian kitchen staff.

But she will be making another attempt to acquire more chefs from Tanzania as her business expands.

Fortunately, the hiring process for foreign nationals in Malawi is not complicated as long as you follow their procedures.

With passports, work permits, and employment contracts, one can comfortably work in Malawi.

Darlington has the unique ability of a food connoisseur, something she picked from her mother.

As her Ergo restaurant kept growing, she kept inventing new recipes and trying new cuisines to accommodate her growing loss of international clients.

“I have always been guided by international standards because I have been to many countries and gained experience,” she added.

For half a decade in the restaurant business in Malawi, she has acquired a lot of experience, from dealing with professional chefs to handling a diverse workforce in her kitchen.

It is a challenge that she has learnt to navigate.

In some cases she had to hire people whom she had to train from scratch.

And also the food she serves is not taught in Malawian culinary colleges, but besides a few hiccups, she praised Malawians for being hospitable and kind people who welcomed her with open arms.

Even when she started serving them Tanzanian cuisine, which they were not familiar with, like makange, the savoury fried chicken that is seasoned with spices, often served with a tangy sauce or accompaniments like vegetables or greens, Malawians were willing to introduce their palate to new flavours, and they fell in love with it.

Introducing her clients to new food is a process that involves stages that she has perfected over time.

She has what is called ‘sampling,’ where she digs into her pocket and cooks free meals, which she will serve to her clients for their feedback.

The trusted clients would be given the food and rate it as well as suggest the price for the new food that she is about to introduce in her restaurant.

“I would trust them to give me honest feedback,” she said.

In some cases, she would invite her friends to her domicile and have dinner waiting for them.

“As soon as they are done, I ask them to give me their feedback, but I would also watch them as they are eating at the table and you can just tell when they are excited or not,” she quipped.

Last December, she hosted a “Friends’ Dinner Party,” where she introduced her guests to traditional Tanzanian cuisine.

The menu featured dishes such as dagaa (sardines), okra, chicken cooked in coconut milk, and vegetables prepared in the distinct Tanzanian coastal style, which prominently incorporates coconut milk.

The feedback was encouraging.

Her guests wondered why she had never served that at the restaurant.

She is keen to have the right chefs who can consistently serve that food daily even when she is not around.

Ugali made from cassava flour has always been her favourite meal.

This staple East African dish, typically dough-like in texture, is usually prepared from maize flour.

However, in some regions of Tanzania, it is uniquely made using cassava flour, which is milled from the root of the cassava plant.

“That food sells out in minutes; people love it,” she said.

The presence of African Union employees has made her venture into cooking Western African cuisine.

She now has fufu on her menu for them.

They evaluated her restaurant and found it up to standard to serve their employees.

That opened her to a new clientele.

She soon started serving ‘goat-pepper soup,’ and the Western Africans were surprised that she knew how to prepare their cuisine.

“I am a quick learner and I have friends from different parts of the world, so that helps me learn beyond my own culture and way of life,” she said.

As a food connoisseur, she can just taste the food and go back home and replicate the same food without asking how they made it and what ingredients they used.

The MBA holder who has never been to a culinary school attributes her mother to her cooking talent.

She said she was her mum’s biggest fan growing up, but she is also willing to try cooking new food and exploring.

She has remained a traditional African woman, urging mothers to teach their girls how to cook, as it helps a child to be independent growing up.

Darlington still cooks her meals despite having a house help. She still finds balance in her life.

She urges fellow Tanzanians to be bold enough and venture outside borders.

Fear of challenges should not limit one’s dreams.

"The worst that can happen is you learn from the experience," she says.

She said Malawi is still a prime destination for Tanzanians to invest in.

She has learnt that having top-notch customer service will always give an entrepreneur.

“You have to make sure that the customer walks away from your business feeling valued; even if you wake up on the bad side of the bed, once you are in your office, you smile at your clients,” she advised.