Harare Provincial Cookout Competitions 2025

Today, Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Hon. Barbara Rwodzi, will officiate at the first 2025 Amai’s Traditional Provincial Cook Out Competitions at Belvedere Teacher’s College in Harare. Initiated by Her Excellency, Dr. Auxillia Mnangagwa, the event showcases culinary talent while celebrating our rich cultural heritage and promoting Zimbabwean gastronomy.The Harare event has brought together a diverse group of 42 talented contestants. The lineup includes 5 people with disabilities, 19 community participants, 10 students, and 8 professional chefs. Each contestant is competing for the top spot, with the ultimate goal of entering the National Finale on May 25, 2025.

In her keynote address at the 2025 Harare Province Traditional Cookout Competition, the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Hon. Barbara Rwodzi explicitly explained President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 and how it aims to improve livelihoods in Zimbabwe. She touched on the importance of Devolution and implementation of the Whole of Government approach in government programmes hence the Gastronomy program in the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry included Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture Fisheries, Water and Rural Development which their work is in the value chain of Gastronomy Tourism.
The Minister applauded the First Lady Dr. Auxillia Mnangagwa, @ZimFirstLady the Tourism Patron in Zimbabwe, for introducing various initiatives which promote our culture and heritage such as gastronomy tourism including Nhanga/Gota, and the National Fabric dress which she said is key in promoting the Zimbabwean identity and in turn an attraction to the International Tourists.

She articulated several tourism clusters including township, rural, religious, culture and heritage amongst the 12 clusters that the Ministry is promoting. The Minister articulated the sustainability of Tourism through including communities in the Tourism value chain, and leaving no one and no place behind.
This year’s competitions have added persons with Disabilities and ordinary men in the community and today we witnessed the diversity of these people with a lot of excitement. Next week the competition is moving to Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West Provinces.

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