Voluntas Nkwain

How long have you been cooking?

I have been cooking for six years. My first attempt to cook was at the age of ten which went horribly wrong because I managed to burn my fingers. At the age of twelve, I tried again but to my disappointment, the second trial was worse. At this point, dad restricted me from cooking. When I joined college, living alone forced me to learn to cook through YouTube. I clearly remember cooking rice for the first time, which turned out great. Since then I look forward to cooking every day.

What is your signature dish?

My signature dish is grilled tilapia fish. As I mentioned earlier, I grew up in Cameroon,West Central Africa, where cooking was done over an open fire. My mom would prepare fish for special occasions by grilling them over the open fire. Grilled fish is my signature dish because it represents happiness and a homely feeling to me. The smell of grilled fish would always welcome me home when I came from school. The reminder of home has made me perfect my grilling fish, making it my signature dish.

What will you do with the $50,000?

For the $50,000, I hope to start my own restaurant. Since my first successful rice dish, I have dreamed of changing the world with food. Food is a source of happiness and being able to make people happy is important. it will allow me to share my culinary passion with others . The $50,000 is sufficient money to start African-oriented restaurant with a fusion of western cuisine. Accomplishing this requires a lot of money since most African food ingredients will be sourced from Africa.