Mesha Tarun is just 22 years old, but this Swiss-Michelin-trained chef has carved a reputation for elevated gastronomy.
Ms Tarun cooks haute cuisine meals for high-end clientele, hosting private pop-up dinners and sell-out supper clubs at exclusive locations such as the Capital Club in Nairobi and Lake House Tigoni.
“The fine dining food scene in Kenya is growing. People are enjoying it, and I want to be part of that upward scene,” she says.
“I didn’t even know how to hold a knife or fry an egg,” says Ms Tarun, who was born in the UK and grew up in Italy and Kenya.
The chef describes herself as a technical person who loves building things. After secondary school, she enrolled to study petroleum engineering at the University of Nairobi.
To pass the time until the reporting date, she did a nine-month internship at the Tribe Hotel in 2018.
“I did housekeeping and front office, but I wasn’t very good. Then I ended up in the kitchen.”
She had found her life’s calling, but the start of her culinary journey was no easy task. As the junior-most person, she was relegated to duties such as chopping vegetables, washing dishes, and peeling 30 kilogrammes of potatoes.
“But I was quite inquisitive about learning cooking techniques and new things,” she says.
Often, she would flit around different parts of the kitchen to observe something interesting, much to the annoyance of the head chef.
Nevertheless, she learned kitchen basics, knife skills, cooking styles, different cuisines, plating, and general knowledge.
“Three months into the Tribe Hotel experience, I told my mum, a lawyer, that I didn’t want to do engineering,” says Ms Tarun.
“She didn’t take that too well at first but eventually grew into it.”
Mombasa Cod with Avocado and Cardamom prepared by Mesha Tarun. FILE PHOTO | POOL
She enrolled in culinary arts at the Boma International Hospitality College in Nairobi. Then a year later, Covid-19 hit, forcing schools and hotels to close. Classes went online, but practical training was impossible.
An unexpected opportunity arose during the pandemic when her neighbour, who knew she was a culinary student, asked her to prepare a meal for a small group of guests.
Ms Tarun crafted and cooked a three-course meal that “they loved.”
Subsequently, more requests started coming in, marking the genesis of her private dining company. Whatever money she earned was invested back into the business to purchase cooking equipment and cutlery.
“I didn’t ask my mother for money, just as a statement,” she says.
As one of the top students in Boma College, Ms Tarun was selected for a year-long Bachelor’s degree at BHMS hospitality school in Switzerland.
Her practical training was at the Belvedere Restaurant, an elegant Michelin-star eatery by the shores of Lake Lucerne.
With such promising prospects, Ms Tarun could have moved to other iconic European establishments, but she chose to return home in 2022.
“Kenya has very fresh produce and many beautiful food products which I want to showcase to the world,” she says, adding that in her cooking, she aims to “elevate local and sustainable ingredients.”
Her culinary mastery is evident in unique recipes, flavour combinations and amazing food presentations bursting with colour.
“My inspiration comes from nature,” she says.
“If I see something interesting, I get new ideas and start creating a unique blend of dishes.”
Her signature dish is a beetroot and strawberry salad. The beetroot is prepared in different textures with a perfect balance of acidity and sweet and savoury tastes.
As the consultant head chef at Cave a Manger, an innovative food and wine-pairing restaurant, she continuously rebuilds the menu and brings new flavours.
Beetroot and strawberry salad prepared by Mesha Tarun. FILE PHOTO | POOL
“I get bored quickly. I like experimenting, changing things and giving people different food experiences.”
Working as a private chef allows her flexibility to explore her creativity and freedom to do what she wants. But she notes that cooking is hard work and passion is essential.
“I’ve seen many people get into this career for the money,” she says. “If I put my focus on money, I won’t get repeat clientele and all the business goes down.”
Nevertheless, Ms Tarun enjoys collaborating with other chefs since “I don’t know everything, and it gives me a chance to expand my knowledge,” she says.
Most recently, she partnered with executive Chef Wayne Walkinshaw of the Radisson Blu Hotel in February 2023 for a sold-out fine dining experience.
