He also had big dreams. To bring the food of his home country to Detroit. He joined his local entrepreneurship program in 2017 and the couple won his $50,000 prize to help launch a restaurant. They finally opened the doors to the airy restaurant. baobab fareearly 2021 — in the throes of a pandemic.
Received praise. James Beard Awardand in March Mamba said “chopped, a cooking contest on the Food Network with a prize pool of $10,000.now they are donating the prize money Freedom House Detroita non-profit organization that helped Ms. Nijimbele and other asylum seekers like her escape persecution.
Elizabeth Orozco Vazquez, Chief Executive Officer of Freedom House Detroit, said:
Growing up in Burundi, East Africa, 42-year-old Mamba learned how to cook traditional local dishes from his mother, who owned a restaurant. She taught him to cook with his senses, not just recipes. This gave him an advantage in “chopped” when faced with unfamiliar proteins such as ostrich and scallops. But the culinary skills that landed him on the show are nothing compared to his wife’s talent.
“The best cook is not me, but Nadia,” he said.
But Nijimbele, 41, was not a limelight figure and did not want to appear on national television. Mamba almost turned down the producers of “chopped,” but felt it was important to share their food and the story of how two refugees became small business owners. So I decided to compete myself.
