I am driven by my passion to cook delightful meals

Samuel Drasiku. PHOTO/EDGAR R BATTE 

What you need to know:

  • Passionate. Samuel Drasiku has been a chef for more than 20 years. He grew up watching his father cook delicious meals for the family and wanted to follow in his footsteps.
  • Currently, he is the sous chef at Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa.

What does a sous chef do?
Sous chef is a French word for an assistant. In the kitchen, we have a hierarchy, just like is the case in the military. I do more or less the work of the executive chef. I manage the operations of the kitchen. I cook, clean, control food, monitor standards, generate menus, and make sure the kitchen is preparing them to perfection.   

What was your inspiration to become a chef?
I was inspired by my father, the late Amis Nyainga. He was a chef in a private home and I watched him cook while growing up and wanted to follow in his footsteps. Whenever he got leave and came home, he would prepare meals for the family including my uncles and aunties who joined us on these feasts.  

As a young boy, what was your initial connection with food?
Honestly, I loved eating. It is all I looked forward to whenever I left school, and I always looked forward to the return of my father to have those sumptuous meals. 

How did you end up at Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa?
I had it in me to aim high and the Serena Hotel was my dream workstation. In 2009 when they were opening the Serena Kigo branch, there was advert in the newspapers and I applied for the job. At the time, I was working at Imperial Royale, close to Kampala Serena Hotel, so I decided to drop my application physically.

When I reached there, I found three big boxes full of applications. I dropped off my application on Friday and the following Tuesday evening while returning home in Entebbe, I received a call from Kampala Serena Hotel to pick my invitation letter to sit for an interview.

Aerial view of  Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa. 

It was scheduled for Thursday at 10 am yet I had to go to work at Imperial Royale Hotel. I told chef Makara about it and he was okay because he was like a father to me.  

I was the first person to be interviewed. That evening, chef Makara was called by the management at Serena and informed that they were offering me a job.  The following day, they called me too, informing me to go and sign my appointment letter. I have been here since then.

Where did you learn how to cook?
I studied at Jimmy Sekasi Institute of Catering where I pursued a diploma in food production where I learned about food, the process of cooking, benefits, and nutrition value. 

When I joined Serena, I went for refresher courses at Kenya Utalii College on buffet presentation, food costs, and preparation of à la carte. I feel proud working for Serena because the management believes in developing talents. I was given the opportunity to grow because I have the strength and passion to cook. 

What would you say makes you tick at your job, as a chef?
I should say that I am a good listener who takes instructions from my superiors and follows them. I am always consistent in what I do, to please the guest and the entire establishment. If we are consistent in the food and services that we give, we can grow our customer base and that is what is happening at Serena.

What career advice would you give a young person who wants to become a chef?
My advice, especially to trainees, is to ask themselves what they would like to become in the future so that they can set their goals and targets and start working towards achieving them. Secondly, success in this career is about being disciplined and hard working. With those, you cannot go wrong. The kitchen is like an army with a chain of command.

There is a trainee who told me that if he had known about how intense the work in kitchens was, he would not have joined. I told him that our work was about passion because it pushes you to attain success, working under minimum supervision. So my advice to many young people who want to become chefs is to only do it if they are truly passionate about food and cooking. 

What do you consider the most valuable advice anyone has given you?
To be a good listener. When you are told something, listen properly in order to communicate well. If you make a mistake, accept and apologise. 

Who would you say are the people that have shaped your career?
The chefs I have worked under such as Chef Nicholas Wambugu, my current executive chef who has become a good mentor of mine.  I believe in continuous learning and Chef Wambugu is always ready and willing to guide and teach me new things.

What motivates you to report to work every day?
Many people are motivated by money. To me, that is not the most important factor. With more money, comes responsibility. It is the passion I have for what I do that makes me go to work every day.

You are the chef behind the popular Achoki fish, what inspired the name, and what makes it special? 
Achoki became popular in 2014. It was named after Cyrus Achoki who worked in South East Asia (SEA) Restaurant but when the business went down, we invited him to work in the general kitchen. We thought of ways to come up with a new menu and came up with the fish which he did it so well that the fish adopted his name. It is made of coconut milk, cream, and butter and is served with posho. It is the most popular selling item on our menu, guests call from as far as Nalya.  

Tell us about your childhood
I was born in Lionga Village in the current Madi-Okolo District in West Nile, along River Nile. Life was good when my father was alive. We went through some challenges. By the time he passed on, my elder brothers were big so they picked up where he left. In fact, it was my brothers who educated me. 

What is your future aspiration?
My dream is to become an executive chef in Serena. I am innovative, creative, and consistent in what I do while I observe and follow the values and culture of Serena. I a

What career achievements are you most proud of?
Moving through the ranks to make it as a four-star hotel general manager in a space of 10 years. I have recruited, groomed staff that have grown to succeed, achieve very high positions and are also contributing to the industry. I have been a key founding member of two of the best hotels and lodges in the western region. I have managed to attract a lot of business to both of my workplaces through my networks. I was instrumental in achieving the four-star status at my previous workplace. 

What do you do to ensure return visitors as a hospitality manager?
I always have well trained staff who will not make careless mistakes. Plus, I treat all clients as VIPs and I take complaints very seriously. In case of a blunder,  I go out of my way to compensate the guest so that they do not leave when they are unhappy. 

In my years in the industry, I have come to understand that clients are unique and respond well to personalised service. Once you understand this foundational truth, it is easy to exceed every client’s expectations. In return, I earn their trust and loyalty. 

What does it take to have a successful career in the  hospitality industry?
Be professional, put your work first, network and understand the changing trends in the industry; do not separate yourself from your work and the position you hold and the company. 

How important is networking in your line of work?
Your network is your net worth.  Every place I have managed, I have been able to influence a lot of business as a result of my network and they contribute greatly to the establishment’s revenue.  

What would you like to see done better in Uganda’s tourism and hospitality industry?
 To see an equal focus by the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) Ministry of Tourism and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) toward the local market for tourism growth and development. 

Are you a leader or a boss?
The customer is the only boss I know. I can only be a leader if I have a team to lead. 

What is the best advice anyone has given you?
 Help the business grow and it will also help you grow in return. You can only be able to earn the best salary if you have done your best to assist the business make the money. 

What is your philosophy on life?
There is power in teamwork. There is always a solution right in front of you, you only need to know how and where to look. Never look down on anyone or anyone’s idea, it could be the best to save the day. 

Which are your top local and regional travel destinations, and why?
Mbarara is my favourite city and destination. It is fast growing, very hospitable and has a national park close by. I also love magical Kenya which I feel is one of the wonders of East Africa.