Ida Cham Njai, an hotelier of many years and renowned chef, is the face of The Gambia tourism, noted for her unique promotion of the country’s cultural tourism, life style and culinary offerings. She spoke of her passion for tourism and love for her country
Background
The Gambia, which is otherwise known as ‘the smiling coast of Africa,’ is noted for its rich and colourful tourism offerings and one of the promoters of the country’s tourism is Ida Cham Njai, the founder of Yabouy Home Cooking.
For her unique blend of home cooking, fashion, life style and cultural offerings, she is globally known and is one of the most sought after Gambians, with her face and products, adoring many world’s publications and television programmes.
A visit to The Gambia without an encounter with her where she treats you to a savoury bouquet of The Gambia’s cultural offerings, is regarded as incomplete. The country’s tourism promoters are always proud to display her as one of their precious exports to the world.
Nigerians had a taste of her culinary skill last year when she participated in the Jollof Rice competition held during Akwaaba African Travel Market, where she came first, beating others to the coveted crown. Though she was around for the event this year but decided to leave the scene for others to prove their mettle.
However, she was a sight and delight to behold all through the three days event as she graced her country’s pavilion, like a precious model, attired in her splendid; colourful and brightly toned signature African’s attire.
I love tourism
Ida Cham Njai is not one of those whose engagement with the tourism industry is due to happenstance but rather, she was driven into it by her innate love for the industry. No wonder, she goes about her various pre – occupations effortlessly. She is her country’s most beloved tourism face and beloved by everyone that comes in contact with her, especially tourists who cherish every moment they spend with her.
‘‘I loved tourism and that was why I studied it. Growing up I saw the potential in it and so I decided to go into it, so that I can at least play my part in the tourism industry,’’ she tells you with some sense of pride and a feeling of accomplishment.
Career path
She founded Yabouy Home Cooking in 2008. Prior to that time the graduate of Tourism and Catering Management from United Kingdom, started her career in the tourism industry in 1989 at the Senegambia Beach Hotel, following her return to the country from England on the completion of her study.
Between 1989 and 2005, she worked in different capacities at the hotel. These included: Food and beverage coordinator; purchasing manager; guest relations manager; conference manager; and sales and marketing.
During her stint with the hotel, she made quite an impact and was recognised as one of the influencers in the industry, as a result represented her country at different foras, especially trade exhibitions across the world.
‘‘Due to my work I used to travel a lot to represent The Gambia in trade fairs,’’ she says. With the glitz and recognition that came with the work, one would had expected her to keep at it for long, however, she graciously bowed out to face a more challenging task.
‘‘But in 2005 I resigned from Senegambia Beach Hotel to a more challenging job,’’ she discloses, pitching her tent with Mandina Eco Lodge at Makasutu Culture Forest. ‘‘I was the general manager. I worked there for two years from 2006 to 2008.
Her stint at the eco lodge was for a short period as she again resigned and moved on to a new terrain. ‘‘Because I wanted to start something new in the tourism market,’’ she recalls with nostalgic feelings.
Birthing Yabouy Home Cooking
Her birthing Yabouy Home Cooking was not also something that she chanced on but rather, it has been part of her as she only stepped out of her routine to give a voice to what she had always done by the side while working for others.
‘‘When I was working in the hotel industry, I used to invite friends to my house and they always say that I made their holidays. I do realise that most travellers when they travel they will like to go to the local market and they will also like to see how we live.
‘‘Every time that I put on African attire they liked it and so, I said let me combine these two,’’ she reveals of how today she has become a promoter of the culture, life style, fashion and culinary offerings of her people, giving tourists a whole world of experience of The Gambia.
This reporter visited her home to experience her home cooking and cultural offerings in the company of other Nigerian travel journalists in one of his visits to the country.
Till today, there is not letting off steam as she has continued to attract hundreds of tourists to her home who come to savour the rich culinary taste offered by her. She engages the tourists actively in the purchase of the cooking items and in the cooking as well.
She offers some details of her style of operation:‘‘When people come to me they put on African attire, then I give them the basket, we go to the market, then come back to the house, cook together, eat together, play games and then exchange cultural values.’’
She has made quite a huge progress with the project, as she discloses that: ‘‘I am very proud to say that in 2008 I started with less than 50 pounds, I started with my utensils that I used at home.’’
She attributes her success to the unique nature of her offerings and to the fact that: ‘‘I think the beauty of my product is the personal touch.’’
It is no wonder that she has won the heart of everyone, including the tour operators, who go all out to promote her special offerings.
‘‘Instead of me going out to find the customers, the customers come to me. It is the tour operators who are selling or promoting me,’’ she says, adding that:‘‘Many of the tour operators used me as a success story for sustainable tourism and now I am being hired by The Gambia to cook Gambia foods.’’
The Gambia food is the best
She regards The Gambia food as one of the best in the continent and that it has a vast collection. Perhaps the most distinct and noted of this repertoire, she says: ‘‘we have different types of foods and we put a lot of vegetables in our cooking but the most popular three are: Benachin (One pot), known as Jollof Rice and originated from the Wolof tribe. Another is Domoda-peanut soup, which originated from the Mandika tribe; and Yassa, which is charcoal grill fish or chicken, with spicy onions and originated from the Jola tribe.’’
However, she doesn’t restrict herself to these three only but offers rich variety of foods and recipes for her visitors who most times find it quite a savoury experience.
Dine with Ida
Aside of the Yabouy Home Cooking, she last year introduced a new variant to her offerings, which is known as ‘Dine with Ida.’ ‘‘Last year I also started something new because I realised that some people will like to taste The Gambia food but are not interested in the cooking.
‘‘So, I started with Dine with Ida. With this, I cook everything myself and people come with their families to dine with me.’’
I am happy with what I am doing
She expresses a sense of satisfaction with her pre-occupation, especially given the fact that she is not only the face of The Gambia tourism but has also earned global acclaim as people all over the world invite her to cook The Gambia foods for them whenever they have important events.
For all of these honours, she says, ‘‘I am very happy about it because I love my country.’’ She also glows in the fact that she enjoys a lot of support from the private sector operators who are her backbone. ‘‘It is because of them that I am known and very popular. They advertise me a lot,’’ she says.
Giving succour to the indigents
Chef Ida, as many of her admirers and followers fondly call her, has also spread her tentacles of influence beyond Yabouy Home Cookingand Dine with Ida to that of creating a community of entrepreneurs through a foundation, which she founded in 2013, to render financial assistance to indigent people who are into business.
‘‘I am also into micro financing, helping the least fortunate. I give them loans and they pay me back without interest,’’ she says, explaining that the loan has a six-month repayment span.
She also discloses of plans to extend her sphere of influence to that of creating a new project where she employs and utilises the products made by the beneficiaries of her foundation’s loan scheme, as many of them produce fresh farm products such as peanut butter.
Gambians are the nicest people on earth
Proud of her country, she describes her people as warm and the nicest people on earth. ‘‘The Gambia I will say is the smallest country in Africa and the nicest. We are gifted. Gambians are nice naturally and we love strangers. We love our culture as well. We have nice hotels, eco lodges and we have many other things as well.
‘‘We would like everyone to know that The Gambia is a very nice place and we are very welcoming.’’
I like bright colours
Though she most often maintains a quiet disposition, almost coming across as taciturn and introvert, however, she is given away by her colourful and bright coloured African attire, which stands her out in the crowd.
‘‘I like bright colours and The Gambia is very sunny. Anywhere I am I want to stand out. My favourite colours are red, yellow, green and white.’’
My favourite food is Benachin
‘‘My favourite food is Benachin and it is the best. I don’t know why Nigerians and Ghanaians are claiming Jollof Rice when Jollof Rice is from our home, our sub-region, Wolof. It is from Wolof and I am a Wolof. So, I don’t know why Nigerians are making claim to it.
‘‘You can only find that in Senegal and Gambia,’’ she says with pride. Reminding the reporter that she came tops during the Jollof Rice competition held last year at Akwaaba African Travel Market when she took part, representing her country.
Nigerians are nice people too
‘‘Nigerians are very nice as well. Very open. Because just yesterday (A day before the interview) I got somebody who came all the way just to see me, which is an honour.
‘‘Nigeria is very big and there is a lot that the country can do especially for the other smaller countries in Africa.
Senegal is my favourite destination
For someone who has travelled across many countries of the world, you would have expected her to name one of the exotic destinations in Europe as her favourite destination of all time.
But to one’s surprise, she named Senegal, which is a neighbouring country to The Gambia. ‘‘Senegal is my favourite destination. That is where I go to relax always.’’
I love my bed
‘‘I love my bed. I sleep or I relax on bed. I love that,’’ she tells you when it comes to how she unwinds and get back her groove.
