Prime
Kemirembe serves Kenyan food with a soupçon of Ugandan character
Some of the meals that will get you salivating at Uncle’s Choma Bar and Restaurant in Bugolobi. PHOTOS/PHILIP MATOGO
What you need to know:
When you see a repeat customer, it gives you positive vibes that you are doing credible work. I do not know all my customers by name but I know what they come for- authentic food, prepared with love and we cater to their tastes accordingly
When did you get the idea of starting this business?
Uncle’s Choma has been around five or six years but back then, it was called Uncle Ds. Then they renamed it Unlce Bob’s because the then owner was called Bob Njuguna, who became my friend. I discovered this place through a friend, who introduced me to the food and I fell in love with it. I loved the food so much that I started bringing my friends, my colleagues, my bosses around to try it. People who know I own it now assume that I have owned it for longer than two years because it had become my second home.
I would post about their food all the time on my socials. Around 2022, the owners decided to sell. I had become friends with the owner and I got to know that they were selling. I approached my now partner and I told him we should not let this hang out be bought by strangers. I love food so much, I love to cook.
This dates back to our mother teaching us to make amazing meals every weekend when we would gather as a family. So even though I have veered into the corporate world, learning from advertising, marketing, now into finance with House DJs. At the back of my mind, I knew food is where I belong. And back then the dream was very shallow. My plans were to have a little food truck doing fast food. And then here comes Unlce Bob wanting to sell off his restuarant.
He just really wanted to get out of the business and I did not want it to get out of my hands. So, when they announced their plans to sell it, I talked to my partner and told him that we could make it work. Most our customers realise that we did not change the menu that much because, like I said, I believed in the system as much as I do now. I initally couldn’t come up with the asking price, it was a little too much for me. But I drew from my savings and I talked to my partner. We put in our bid and we are lucky enough it was accepted.
What was the menu like before?
A lot like what we have now, the wet fry goat, the wet fry chicken. One of the things I appreciated about them is that they never spiced their food. At Uncle’s Choma, you will not taste strange spices in our food. Tomatoes, onions, some spring onion and coriander. Even their choma, I used to eat their ribs so religiously. So I kept their menu the way it was because I would never try to change something I loved myself.
What convinced you that you could successfully sell Kenyan cuisines, as a Ugandan?
Originally, I did not know I could eat ugali (posho) and enjoy it. I did not know I could eat Mutura - African sausage made from either the small or large intestines of goats or cows found in Gikuyu lands of central Kenya, and enjoy it. I didn’t know I could eat Mukimo - mashed potatoes and green vegetables and enjoy it. But I was learning all these different cuisines from Kenya and I loved them. I decided to learn more about this food and retain its authentiity.
Apart from the menu, what else stands out at Uncle’s Choma Joint?
My positive personality (she laughs), the music, the ambience. The food is consistently good, that is the real deal to our customers. The food is authentic all the time. I feel proud when I see a repeat customer. It gives me joy that they are coming back for the food they love to eat. I do not know all my customers by name, but I know what they come for and we cater to their tastes accordingly. What brings customers is the food and the portions are good in terms of money value.
What challenges have you faced as an entreprenuer?
When we had just gotten the place, one of the biggest challenges was that the kitchen was full of men. The chefs, the kitchen assistants and the cleaners were all men. I would give them instructions and they would never listen to me. I would tell my partner about this. The moment he stepped into the kitchen, they would all suddenly heed to his orders. The workers at the time came from a management that was strictly men. Now they have this young woman, screaming orders at them in the kitchen. And they are all looking at you as if you are speaking a different langauge. So I brought in my own team after being advised by other women in business to overhaul staff and employ a new team. So I did. Now I have a solid team. Even when I am not here, things are moving.
Who gives orders?
Managing staff.
The chefs, the kitchen assistants and the cleaners were all men. I would give them instructions and they would never listen to me. The moment he (co-director) stepped into the kitchen, they would all suddenly do what he instructed them to do. The workers at the time came from a management that was strictly men.
