Ouagadougou Gastronomy Week
From October 25th to November 1st, Burkina Faso’s capital will transform into an open-air kitchen with the second edition of the International Gastronomy Crossroads of Faso. Among the invited masters is Chef Madzou Moukossa from Congo-Brazzaville, a rising ambassador of Central African cuisine.
This week-long showcase combines tasting sessions, live cooking competitions, and training clinics designed to strengthen professional networks in West and Central Africa. Organizers indicate this edition will focus on youth employability, sustainability, and the intersection of culinary heritages forged by centuries of trade routes.
Chef Madzou Moukossa’s Journey
Born in Pointe-Noire and trained between Brazzaville and Dakar, Madzou Moukossa founded 2M Service at just 27 years old. The academy teaches cooking, pastry-making, and event decoration to approximately 300 trainees each year, most of whom come from low-income households seeking a practical path to formal employment.
His commitment stems from what he calls “the transformative power of a stove.” In a pre-departure interview, he noted that culinary skills enable young Congolese “to create value from local products instead of waiting for elusive office jobs,” a philosophy that resonates across the continent.
Mentorship at the Heart of the Mission
In Ouagadougou, the chef will give daily masterclasses alongside colleagues from Senegal, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast. The sessions will blend theory and practice, guiding participants through inventory management, cost control, plate aesthetics, and digital marketing – skills that recruiters have reported as lacking in many entry-level candidates.
Beyond technique, Moukossa will open a mentorship office for individual career planning. Selected mentees can enroll in a six-month virtual follow-up program led by 2M Service alumni, ensuring the festival’s impact extends long after the last tasting spoon is washed and the tents are folded.
Congolese Flavors on an International Stage
The menu he plans to present is rooted in Congolese terroir: cassava leaf velouté spiced with ndembi pepper, smoked Nile perch on saka-saka risotto, and plantain caramel mille-feuille. “I want diners to taste Congo’s rivers and forests with every bite,” he stated.
Such culinary diplomacy aligns with Congo-Brazzaville’s strategy of leveraging cultural industries to diversify its economy. The Ministry of Tourism and Environment, which helped facilitate the trip, hopes that successes like Moukossa’s can inspire new ventures in agro-processing, hospitality, and sustainable agroforestry.
Training as an Economic Lever
Regional economists state that every formal job in cooking generates up to three indirect positions, from farmers to transporters. By focusing on skills transfer, the Ouaga gathering could thus contribute to the post-pandemic recovery narrative supported by the Central African Economic and Monetary Community.
A policy analyst in Brazzaville notes that gastronomy remains underestimated in macroeconomic models. “A dynamic culinary scene