International exposure shapes Ugandan chef’s approach to culinary education

Kampala, Uganda | ENTEBBENEWS.NET | As Uganda seeks to strengthen its hospitality and tourism sectors, culinary educator Chef Sheila Ahabwe says international exposure has become an important tool for improving vocational training and raising professional standards within the country’s food industry.

Over the years, Ahabwe has participated in culinary competitions, training programmes, conferences and professional exchanges across Africa and Asia, experiences she says have broadened her understanding of culinary education, food safety, hospitality management and professional kitchen operations.

Her engagements have taken her to countries including India, Botswana, Nigeria and Togo, where she has interacted with chefs, hospitality professionals and vocational education institutions.

Rather than viewing the trips as personal milestones, Ahabwe says they have offered opportunities to observe how different countries prepare hospitality professionals and assess practical skills.

Each destination, she says, has provided lessons that extend beyond recipes, exposing her to new training methodologies, international assessment practices and emerging trends within the global food industry.

The experience has informed her work as a culinary educator in Uganda, where she has incorporated international practices into her teaching by emphasising professionalism, hygiene standards, practical competence and industry readiness.

As an internationally trained vocational assessor, she has also contributed to competency-based education, which focuses on assessing learners through practical skills alongside theoretical knowledge.

The approach comes as demand for skilled hospitality professionals continues to grow across East Africa, driven by expanding tourism, food service and hospitality industries.

While learning from other countries, Ahabwe says she has also used international engagements to showcase Uganda’s culinary heritage.

She believes local ingredients, traditional cooking techniques and indigenous food knowledge deserve greater recognition on the international stage.

Whether engaging fellow chefs during culinary exhibitions or participating in international forums, she has advocated for wider appreciation of Ugandan cuisine while encouraging innovation that preserves cultural identity.

Her work reflects a broader movement among African chefs seeking to position the continent’s cuisines as established culinary traditions with global relevance rather than cultural curiosities.

Beyond promoting Ugandan cuisine, international engagements have enabled Ahabwe to build professional networks with culinary educators and hospitality practitioners across Africa, creating opportunities to exchange ideas on vocational education, curriculum development and industry best practices.

Such collaboration is becoming increasingly significant as African countries strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems to equip young people with skills for employment in hospitality, tourism and food production.

For Uganda, these networks offer opportunities to improve local training while opening avenues for future institutional partnerships.

Although international recognition, including awards received in India, has become part of her professional journey, Ahabwe says the greatest value lies in the knowledge gained through global engagement.

Recognition, she says, serves as encouragement rather than the final destination.

Her focus remains on continuous improvement, believing that every competition, conference and international exchange offers ideas that can benefit students, fellow educators and Uganda’s hospitality industry.