WHY THE DOVE KITCHEN (D.K) Personal experience

The Genesis of the D.K concept began in 2021 when my son Josiah was in his P.7 vacation, at the age of 13 after PLE he started demanding for a smart phone. Being idle after PLE, he seemed to have a lot of time but very well unutilized. As someone who doesn’t encourage idle minds, I quickly got him a catering school near home and started immediately in his 1st week of vacation.

In the first 2 days he began complaining how he was the only boy in the class. I encouraged him he was the only unique boy in Uganda in vacation; this seemed to make sense to him.

Just as they say that the quickest way to get to the man’s heart is through his stomach, the catering school became enjoyable for Josiah because there was nice food that was consumed by the “Chefs” themselves. Shortly the boy started coming home full and would not eat at home. I remember one day when he asked me for a dish to begin bringing for me some of the food they cooked at school. This was timely for him as he enjoyed the course and the food.

Benefits of his training;

1. One of the reasons I chose catering for Josiah was to help him to learn to work faster. Speed is a must for one to pull off a meal faster. Indeed I saw his speed increase in the kitchen.
2. He taught me to eat chilli. As a “Chef” as it seemed, he started buying stuff of what we didn’t have at home. All my life I feared buying chilli and would always be far from it. As he would spice food, he never missed chilli and the food tasted nice, I copied and started eating chilli to date.
3. Shopping skills; Together with his sister Joy they started shopping what I personally didn’t think I needed. I remember how he began asking for money to buy some ingredients and preservatives in the supermarket on his own.
4. He became an authority in chapatti making. This hit the landmark for Josiah. Together with siblings being good chapattis eaters, I imagine all his senses were sensitive to learning and mastering chapattis.

When his siblings learnt of his skills, the demand was higher than the supply. This made him feel a king without a kingdom. Sometimes everyone would be on his case to prepare chapattis. Whenever his siblings requested for the same, he reminded them to join the catering school for the skill.

1. He taught me how to hold a knife while cutting salads. When he had just joined, he found me cutting salads and he was surprised I did not know how to hold a knife. I immediately submitted and ask him to teach me. The torn he used was a humbling for me. By the time he completed the statement, he had already removed the knife from my hand to show me the right way. A good mentor to his mentee (mummy)

I was quick to allow the training and to me this was really humbling as I had never known that a knife has a specific way of being held.

Personal lessons

1. As a parent I learnt that we limit the scope of our children to acquire skills early. We keep thinking they are young and there’s still time but before we know it they are out of school and getting married. Only to embarrass us and themselves.
2. When I saw the change in my son, I desired all boys of his age would have acquired the same skill and utilized their vacation.
3. I personal appreciated that some things we can’t teach our children ourselves. If I had insisted on teaching my son myself to this day he wouldn’t have learnt anything, he wouldn’t have accepted learning from me and neither would I have time and patience to teach what he knows now. Since everyone eats young, old, tall, short, black, white, then it’s good to train our children early to help them in other areas of life in future especially the boy child who has been neglected in this generation.
4. It introduced / launched me to the Gap needs there are in our generation. As parents, the truth of the matter is that it’s hard for us to find time to train our children in all we would desire in life.

The academic system is so competitive and we can’t afford having our children relax, in pursuit for grades, other areas of skilling have been left out for later on yet as they graduate from university they are of age for marriage. Then we release the unskilled children in the lives of others in the same category in marriage.

1. A mind re-set. We can only re-set our children’s minds when still young.

I therefore, take this opportunity to request all stakeholders in parenting to embrace the idea of the kitchen early enough for our children if we are to holistic have them mentored into what they are pre-destined to be and full their destinies here on earth.