Chef’s Choice! Meet Anthony Kiarie, Head Chef at Megawatt Café.

For Megawatt Café’s Head Chef, cooking is more than just a passion for culinary prowess. It’s a way of life and a chance to experiment with modern techniques and ingredients, traditional methods, and a bit of something personal.

Anthony Kiarie has been the Head Chef of Megawatt Café since it opened its doors to the public 1-year ago. The café, a social investment of the KenGen Foundation, initially started with ten staff and over the past twelve months, the team has grown to fifteen.

READ MORE: Team Building Retreat Cooks New Roadmap for Megawatt Cafe.

Anthony’s passion for fresh ingredients and culinary excellence are the cornerstones of Megawatt’s success. This is reflected in the café’s efforts in offering the best in-house and outside catering services for the Company and its staff.

Driven by an unyielding dedication to providing memorable experiences, Chef Anthony has been instrumental in expanding the café’s services to cater for personal and corporate events outside Stima Plaza. Bookings are made earlier to allow for planning and logistics.

I recently sat down briefly with Anthony (between his hectic daily schedule) to find out more about his passion AND THIS IS WHAT HE SHARED:

Ever since I was young, I have always had a passion for cooking. I’ve never really considered following another career path other than being a chef.

My career began in Nakuru where I was born. I attended Lake Nakuru Hotel and Tourism Management College (Egerton University) and during my free time, I cooked and served at social events such as weddings. Later, I eventually landed a part-time job as a commie at Summit Resort even as I continued with my studies.

After graduation, I worked at Lake Nakuru Lodge at Lake Nakuru National Park as an Assistant Cook. I was lucky to be under the tutelage of a foreign trained Executive Chef. Following that, I moved to Nairobi and where I joined NAS Airport Services as a cook working at Simba Restaurant, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

ALSO READ: Megawatt Café First outing Leaves Olkaria Givers Craving for more.

I gained my first real experience at running a busy in-house restaurant at the Standard Group at the age of 26 where I was promoted from Assistant Head Cook to Senior Head Cook. I once featured in a T.V. advert in KTN’s Life & Style, but my biggest achievement at the time was featured on the weekly Radio Maisha cooking show Twende Jikoni, hosted by Ann Njogu between 12.00 p.m. and 12.30.p.m. every Friday. This really gave me the platform to showcase my skills and gain a few minutes of fame every week for close to six months.

Anyway, I’m glad to be at Megawatt Café. I guess it’s a privilege to be able to cater to the nutritional needs of the staff of the leading power generator in Kenya!

One of my favorite recipes for you to try at home is…

Spicy Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

5 chicken breast halves, skinned boned and cut into 11/2 inch pieces

11/2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs beaten

11/2 cups all-purpose flour

11/4 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon dried whole thyme

¼ teaspoon paprika

Vegetable oil

Preparation

STEP 1

Place chicken pieces in mixing bowl. Combine buttermilk and eggs, and pour over chicken, cover and refrigerate for several hours

STEP 2

Combine flour, salt, pepper garlic powder, chili powder, thyme, and Spanish paprika in mixing bowl; stir well

Drain chicken and dredge each piece in flour mixture

STEP 3

Heat 1 inch of oil in a pan to until hot, add chicken in several batches and fry for 3 minutes or until golden brown, turning frequently. Drain well on a pepper towels

Serve spicy chicken nuggets with French fries (hot and sweet sauce).

Bon appetite!

So what is the secret to really great food, I ask?

“The chef must know the tradition and history of the food he’s working with. There are so many ways to combine ingredients for different reactions to the taste buds, and also personal preferences…”, says Anthony.

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–Ernest Nyamasyo, Communication Officer