Meet Tafadzwa Anifasi aka De Ankarra Chef-a Zimbabwean TV and private chef who says he cannot live without his palate. The name De Ankarra comes from his love for African print and it matches his food which is both colourful and full of bold flavours. Tafadzwa pointed out that he wanted a name that would resonate with Africa and thus become an African brand. De Ankarra Chef’s love for African print means you will invariably see him in African print clothing especially on his TV show Home Made with De Ankarra Chef.
Originally a finance graduate, he enrolled into a Cooking School after he was inspired by his aunt’s cooking. His curiosity began whilst he was studying for his finance degree. He recalls a specific day he saw his aunt frying an egg and whilst doing so, she was lathering oil on the egg. Observing the way his aunt was frying the egg sparked his curiosity of the cooking process. However his real passion for food and cooking began after chef school whilst cooking in Italy. “In Italy you can’t help but observe the reverence and passion the Italians treat ingredients and food,” he shared.
De Ankarra Chef shared that he has not scratched the surface of his potential and because of his hunger for knowledge, that is what he believes sets him apart from the rest in the industry. He hopes that his evolution as a chef will bring food experiences that a diner might not have experiences yet; “experiences that will hopefully challenge their notions on the food they thought they knew.”
The De Ankarra Chef has no favourite dish because he is still discovering himself and as a result his dishes are constantly evolving. He says that every dish he has cooked is a favourite because the process always leads him towards that one dish that will define him. The most important thing when it comes to cooking for him is flavour, creating a dish with a memorable flavour.
He draws inspiration from Costa of Picturehub and Henry Hakulandaba . “like myself i believe they are passionate about their craft , not just passionate to the point it makes them money but to a point that it makes a impact on the clients they interact with. Their photos are alive with passion.” As a Zimbabwean he is very fond of the country because he feels like himself it has not yet reached its potential. “Zimbabwehas taught me to search myself , I am Zimbabwean because I am potential.” Given the opportunity to cook for anyone in the world, Tafadzwa would choose his parents and create a fusion menu of all the places they have been.
De Ankarra Chef can be contacted by email on, deankarrachef@gmail.com and on social media @deankarrachef on Facebook and Instagram.
Great dishes chef