Reflections from 2022
Each December, I’m confronted by time - its permanence and impermanence.
The permanent yearly holiday celebrations of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years all packed into a few months.
And, time’s impermanence - reviewing my to-do list and recognizing there’s still so much I aspire to do for Africa.
It’s been nearly 10 years since I quit my job at the United Nations to pursue Midunu full-time. And, I’m still energized by the problem I’m trying to solve.
I wake up most days thinking, "How do we feed Ghana and other African countries for the next 50 years to come?"
While some people scoff at my grand ambitions, I’m ignited by my desire to celebrate and preserve African culinary heritage and indigenous ingredients.
I’m doing this for the African communities of my past, present, and future because…
Generational African recipes are becoming obsolete from modernization and globalization, so I established The Midunu Institute, a non-profit dedicated to documenting African culinary heritage.
Historical conditioning and media has influenced peoples’ perception of African cuisines, so I created Midunu, a nomadic fine dining experience, to present Africa’s bounty to the table.
Nearly 70% of the world’s cocoa comes from West Africa, yet few chocolate companies exist in this region. I founded Midunu Chocolates to share aromatic flavors and ingredients from across the African continent with the world.
And, to be candid, there are moments where I’m crushed by the weight of my dreams.
However, the end of the year signals a time for reflection and celebration, enabling me to see how much progress I’ve achieved:
I’ve advocated for West African cocoa communities as a keynote speaker at the 2022 European Cocoa Association in Italy
I’ve shared and educated the gastronomic community on New African Cuisine and food systems at Food on the Edge in Ireland, Worlds of Flavor in the U.S., Science & Cooking World Congress in Spain, Gastromasa in Turkey, and Moët Hennessy’s vision meeting in South Africa
Midunu Chocolates won the 2022 Chocolate Alliance Gold Award for our Classic Milk Drinking Chocolate
Midunu Chocolates secured partnerships with Faire, Sendoso, Postal, and Doordash to take our business global!
And, there’s still so much I aspire to do.
As I’m scaling my businesses, I’m dedicating more time to my advocacy work - shifting policies, supporting smallholder farmers, and sharing the richness and beauty of African cuisines with the world.
I encourage you to take some time out of your busy schedule to reflect and celebrate your wins as well - it can be a transformative process!
I look forward to staying in touch and sharing stories from my African kitchen with you.
Happy holidays & happy new year to you and your loved ones!
Lots of love and chocolate,
Selassie