An Interview with Ziyaad Brown, Xigera Safari Lodge, Botswana

Having been with us since our inception, we are truly blessed to have Executive Chef Ziyaad Brown leading our wonderful kitchen team. In order to pull back the curtain further on Xigera’s unique culinary process, we were recently able to conduct an interview with Ziyaad himself. You can read this interview for yourself below. Would you say that there’s a philosophy underpinning the Xigera dining experience? Our food philosophy centres largely around availability, sustainability, and seasonality. Our daily offerings are determined by our resources and the specific needs of our guests. We take a natural approach to food, preparing everything from scratch in our kitchen. We avoid processed foods and lean toward clean eating. Fire cooking is a cornerstone of our culinary experience. We appreciate the primal nature of fire and its influence on how we prepare and serve food. Could you tell us a little about the local partners and suppliers with which Xigera works? Having forged responsible partnerships with farmers and created self-sustaining ecosystems of local trade, we hope to have a lasting impact on the industry. We support several small-scale producers, as we believe it is our duty as a major industry player to support small-scale industries directly. We have numerous local suppliers, a few of which I’d like to highlight. We are partnered with a pioneering hydroponic farm, which provides us with fresh, living produce every week. We typically procure meat from single-source origins, emphasising traceability and responsible cattle-raising practices. Additionally, we purchase local ingredients from female street vendors. In this region, it is common for older women to operate street stands, selling locally farmed grains, legumes, and vegetables. How important is sustainability for Xigera? What truly matters to us is that we're making a small but impactful difference in our community. We're moving towards a whole-animal way of dining, which has led to us creating our own in-house butchery and dry-aging our own meat. We are also moving closer to a low-waste, high-yield kitchen, extracting as much as possible from all our produce before it becomes a waste product. We support ethically traded cocoa from Ghana and single-origin coffee from Uganda. We strive to lower our carbon impact by sourcing local and seasonal ingredients as much as possible, reducing carbon miles. We compost our food waste and donate it to Habu Village through our partnership with Wild Entrust. This compost is used for their subsistence farming, and we, in turn, purchase the surplus from their harvest. We've also eliminated most single-use plastics from our kitchen – and, believe me, getting rid of plastic wrap was the hardest! What are some of the greatest challenges you face in your role? Farming conditions are challenging in Botswana, due to the extremities in weather, soil quality, infrastructure, and access to water. We are fortunate to have access to a variety of locally farmed and produced products, thanks to our strategic partnerships. However, import restrictions on certain goods and services mean that the support of local industry is crucial to our access to produce. Consequently, for extended periods, we may be without basic ingredients like onions or tomatoes. Nevertheless, we remain committed to providing a flawless Xigera dining experience for our guests. Finally, what are some of the new culinary experiences you’re most excited to showcase in 2025? In 2025, we will take a simple yet delicious approach to what we do, focusing our time and attention on fewer high-quality components. Examples include our 72-hour beef rib with textures of parsnip and blueberry, slow-fermented foods like baobab kimchi, and house-cured charcuterie. Ultimately, dining from our wild kitchen is a truly unique experience, showcasing the best local produce while supporting small industries. We have expanded our plant-based offerings significantly and provide numerous free-from dining options, ensuring our dining experiences are wholesome, nutritious, and cater to a broad range of dietary requirements. Our options include fire-inspired dining, bush brunches, and exclusive chef's tables. Our kitchen team is ready to create nothing but the most memorable dining experiences.

An Interview with Ziyaad Brown

Sustainable experiences