Mary Nwenwu
Mary comes from a family of cooks and her enthusiasm came from her mother who loved to cook big hearty food! Her mother is Ibo and from Nigeria in West Africa and anyone who used to come to her family home, whether you were a guest or the repair man, would be sure to leave the house licking their lips and patting a full belly! Mary wanted her own children to be confident in the kitchen and taught them how to safely light the hob and use a knife properly. They were introduced to different cuisine from an early age and encouraged to experiment with textures and flavours.
At catering college, Mary discovered she was good at making sweet treats and went on to work as a commis chef and chef de partie where she created desserts and pastries. The first Caribbean dish she learned was Saturday soup. A chicken soup jam-packed with vegetables from the Caribbean with fresh herbs and spices and dumplings. Over the years she’s adapted the dish by using vegetables grown in Britain too.
While African cuisine is very different to that from the Caribbean they share some of the same ingredients like yam, plantain and sweet potato. West African cuisine consists of dishes like Jolloff rice, usually eaten at parties and considered a luxury dish, and there’s pounded yam served with either Obono soup, Egusi stew or okra and tomato stew.
Mary whole heartedly believes that everyone can cook. It only takes enthusiasm and practice, because good food comes from the soul! Discover your passion for Afro Caribbean food on one of Mary’s courses!