The first East African culinary adventure show, Tales from Bush Larder, is set to premiere in London this week. The event will take place at Altitude 360, a top London restaurant. The culmination of the show will be the screening of one episode and a dinner prepared by the host, Kenyan born and internationally trained cook, Kiran Jethwa
Tales from the Bush Larder is a coproduction between Zuku and Quite Bright Films and first aired on Zuku Afrika from September 2012.The 12-part series takes the viewers on a tour of Kenya’s unusual and unknown gastronomic delights. Chef Kiran Jethwa goes in search of the ingredients he uses in his Nairobi restaurant, Seven, and then uses them to create both humble and sophisticated meals.Commenting about the show, Kiran said, “It is a journey of culinary discovery.”
According to Zuku Programming MD Hannelie Bekker, the primary purpose of the event in London is to introduce Zuku, Tales from the Bush Larder and Kiran to an international audience, made up of television and business press, television professionals, and travel journalists.
“The secondary objective is to demonstrate the fresh and lively business climate in East Africa and its attractions as a destination. Zuku has in its short history showed that the market is characterized by an enormous appetite for new services. It places emphasis on locally developed channels and programming, believing that quality African television is important in the tv landscape of the future,” Hannelie said.
She added that the international premiere of the show will promote Kenya as a tourism destination at a time when the country is striving to diversify its tourism portfolio.During the Nairobi launch of the show, Wananchi Group CEO Richard Bell reaffirmed Zuku’s commitment to investing in more local content in response to audience demand.
“Our offering has been structured to meet that need. As an East African company, we are committed to maintaining a close focus on this market and are delighted to be able to contribute towards its growth”, said Bell.
Since its broadcast on Zuku AFrika in 2012, the show has attracted both local and international attention. Last year, Zuku Programming handed international distribution rights of the programme to a Dutch company, Amsterdam-based Off The Fence..
Zuku will retain distribution rights within Africa.
