The festival kicked off with a tour of the Nestlé factory in Tema, Ghana. Nestlé, producers of MAGGI, hosted the chefs, taking them through the manufacturing process, as well as the strict quality and safety standards during production process.

This was followed by a colourful opening ceremony the following day, where the chefs cooked and showcased their traditional dishes like ‘lechotlho’ from Botswana, ‘aboloo and Keta school boys’ from Ghana, isombe from Rwanda and ‘eba and egusi’ from Nigeria.

In a presentation at the ceremony, the Nutrition, Health and Wellness Manager for Nestlé Central and West Africa, Akua Kwakwa shed some light on MAGGI, saying “MAGGI seasonings are a great blend of taste and nutrition. They contain kitchen cupboard ingredients like salt and spices and are fortified with iodine, with some also fortified with iron. MAGGI seasonings are flavorful enough that there is no need to add extra salt when you cook with them.”

The event followed with 2 days of cooking competitions among the chefs. The Chefs Association of Ghana emerged triumphant winning with 6 trophies and 16 medals out of 8 competitions. They won Gold in the Jollof, Country Cuisine, Plated Dessert and the WAFFEST Chef competitions. They also took Silver in the Bread and Three Tier Cake competitions. Some attendees also won branded MAGGI souvenirs during a quiz session.

The event climaxed with a dinner, where all chefs from participating countries shared their final meals and goodbyes. Chef Mark Punshak from Nigeria, sharing his impression of the event, said that he had found the festival very educating, entertaining, and quite satisfying with so much to eat!