Kenyan Italian cuisine: Lesiamon ole Sempele, better known as Chef Les, tantalizing decade-long culinary journey has taken him to 17 countries — in a cruise ship. He is currently an executive chef at Nyama Mama’s Delta branch in Nairobi.
His passion, which he discovered at five years, has seen him cook his way into a profession peppered with skills from the Top Chefs Culinary Institute and Utalii College.
Chef Les is driven by the desire to enrich the taste buds of different people with the Kenyan cuisine. This has seen him prepare delicacies for celebrities such as late Anthony Bourdain, an American celebrity chef.
And when he’s not cooking, Chef Les is immersed in Nairobi’s eclectic art and music scene.
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In the last few months, he has been using his skills and talents to outreach initiatives such as Mama to the Rescue to help frontline workers and out-of-work hospitality workers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
How to prepare a Kenyan Italian cuisine and Kenyan Mexican cuisine
Chef Les will blend Kenyan, Italian and Mexican cuisines. He will transform mbuzi leg into an Italian-inspired ragu, accompanied by a Kenyan-Mexican fusion of mahindi choma, a cream-infused ugali, and a broccoli and mushroom mash-up.
Ingredients
Goat Ragu
Cooking time: 60 minutes
- 2.5 kilograms Goat Leg
- 1 Onion, diced
- 5 Garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Leek, diced
- 2 Carrots, diced
- 1 Celery stalk, diced
- 2 tablespoons, Tomato Paste
- 1.5 cups, Goat Stock
- 2 cups, Cabernet Merlot Wine
Mahindi Choma
Cooking time: 15 minutes (180 degrees)
- 3 ears, Yellow Corn
- 1 tablespoon, Salt
- 1 Lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon, Chili Powder
- ¼ teaspoon, Black Pepper
- 1 sprig, Thyme
Broccoli & Mushroom
Cooking time: 10 minutes
- 250 grams, Broccoli
- 1 punnet Mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons, Oyster Sauce
- 1 tablespoon, Butter
Ugali
Cooking time: 15 minutes
- 500 grams, Yellow Maize Flour
- 1 ¼ cups, Water
- 45 milliliters, Fresh Cream
