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Built on a Dream, a Family, and 15 Years of Perfecting Goat
Inside Perk & Plate — one of Kigali's most beloved restaurants, where every meal is prepared with attention, respect, and an unwavering belief that hospitality is a form of love.
On KN 51 Street in Kigali, past a gate marked by tall pine trees and a handwritten sign, there is a restaurant that does not announce itself loudly. It doesn't need to.
Perk & Plate has built its reputation the old way — one meal at a time, one returning guest at a time, over more than a decade of quiet dedication. African Fresh Market sat down with the owner to hear the full story.
Mu gice cya Fresh Table cy'uyu munsi, African Fresh Market yaganiriye n'umwe mu ba nyiri restaurant i Kigali ku biryo, umuryango, ubuziranenge, n'icyo bisaba kugira ngo abantu bagaruke inshuro nyinshi ahantu hamwe.
How did this restaurant begin?
Ni gute iyi restaurant yatangiye?
This restaurant started from a dream I had carried for many years. I spent a long time working for other people, but deep down I always wanted to build something of my own. When the opportunity finally came and I had enough resources to start, I invested what I had and opened this restaurant.
Iyi restaurant yatangiye nk'inzozi nari maranye imyaka myinshi. Nakoreye abandi igihe kirekire, ariko nkiri muri urwo rugendo nahoraga nifuza kuzagira ikintu cyanjye bwite. Amahirwe amaze kuboneka, nkoresha ibyo nari mfite maze mfungura restaurant.
For me, it wasn't a sudden decision. It was something I had been preparing for in my mind for a very long time.
Ntabwo byari icyemezo cy'ako kanya. Byari ibintu nari maze igihe kinini ndatekerezaho kandi nitegura.
"It wasn't a sudden decision. It was something I had been preparing for in my mind for a very long time."
What was your relationship with food growing up?
Mu mikurire yawe, wari uhuriye he n'ibiryo?
Absolutely. As a child, people would often find me in the kitchen with my mother while she cooked. I spent a lot of time there.
Yego cyane. Nkiri umwana, abantu benshi bansangaga mu gikoni ndi kumwe na mama igihe yabaga ateka. Nahamaze igihe kinini cyane.
"When I think about it today, I feel like food and I grew up together. It has always been part of my life."
Iyo mbitekereje uyu munsi, numva njye n'ibiryo ari nk'aho twakuranye. Byahoze ari igice cy'ubuzima bwanjye.
Did anyone doubt you when you started?
Ese hari abagushidikanyijeho utangira?
Not everyone. When people know you as someone who worked for others for many years, some naturally wonder whether you can succeed on your own. Some doubted me. Some thought I wouldn't be able to build something sustainable.
Siko bose babyumvaga. Iyo abantu bakuzi nk'umuntu wakoreye abandi igihe kirekire, hari abibaza niba uzabasha kwikorera. Hari abanshidikanyijeho. Hari n'abatekerezaga ko ntazabasha kubaka ikintu kiramba.
"But I loved this profession too much to stop. That passion is what kept me moving forward."
Ariko nakundaga uyu mwuga cyane ku buryo ntashoboraga guhagarara. Urwo rukundo ni rwo rwankomeje.
What should a great restaurant give people beyond food?
Niki Restaurant nziza ikwiye guha abantu kirenze ibiryo?
"When someone chooses your restaurant over every other option in the city, they are trusting you. You have a responsibility to give them more than they expected."
That's how I see hospitality.
Iyo umuntu ahisemo kuza muri restaurant yawe kandi hari ahandi henshi yashoboraga kujya, aba yakugiriye icyizere. Ufite inshingano zo kumuha ikirenze ibyo yari yiteze. Ni uko mbona kwakira abantu.
What do you want people to feel when they walk through your doors?
Ni iki wifuza ko umuntu yakwiyumvamo akigera hano?
I want people to feel like they have entered a family. Welcome. Comfortable. At home. That's the experience I try to create every day.
Nifuza ko umuntu yumva yinjiye mu muryango. Akumva yakiriwe. Akumva atekanye. Akumva ari iwe. Ibyo ni byo ngerageza kubaka buri munsi.
"I want people to feel like they have entered a family."
"Our oven-roasted goat. It took me fifteen years to get it exactly where I wanted it. We wanted its taste to be unique — something people could not easily find elsewhere in Kigali."
Ni ihene yacu itekwa mu ifuru. Yantwaye imyaka 15 kugira ngo nyigeze ku rwego nifuzaga. Twashakaga uburyohe bwihariye. Ikintu umuntu atabona ahandi hose muri Kigali.
What does food mean to Rwanda?
Ibiryo bisobanuye iki ku Rwanda?
"Food is culture. Everything else can change. But food remains part of who we are. It's how we share. It's how we welcome people. It's how we preserve identity."
Ibiryo ni umuco. Ibindi byinshi bishobora guhinduka. Ariko ibiryo biguma ari igice cy'abo turi bo. Ni uburyo dusangira. Ni uburyo twakira abantu. Ni uburyo turinda umuco wacu.
On Farm-to-Table
Ku gitekerezo cya "Mu Murima Ku Meza"
To me, it means freshness. It means ingredients coming directly from the farm to the kitchen. Whether it's vegetables, fruits or meat, we prefer knowing where it came from and serving it while its quality is still at its best.
Kuri njye bivuze freshness. Bivuze ko ibyo duteka biva mu murima bikagera mu gikoni. Yaba imboga, imbuto cyangwa inyama, dukunda kumenya aho byavuye no kubitegura bikiri ku rwego rwiza.
"Many restaurants talk about quality. Farm-to-table is one way of proving it."
Restaurant nyinshi zivuga ubuziranenge. Farm-to-table ni bumwe mu buryo bwo kubugaragaza.
One Last Question
Ikibazo cya nyuma
What do you want people who haven't visited yet to know about this restaurant?
I want them to know that our biggest strength is how we welcome people. We care about cleanliness. We care about quality. And we prepare every meal with attention and respect.
Nifuza ko bamenya ko imbaraga zacu zikomeye ari uburyo twakira abantu. Twita ku isuku. Twita ku bwiza bw'ibiryo. Kandi dutegura buri funguro tubyitondeye kandi tubiha agaciro.
"That is what defines us."
Fresh Table is African Fresh Market's storytelling platform celebrating the chefs, restaurants, farmers and food pioneers shaping Rwanda's food culture.
Fresh Table ni urubuga rwa African Fresh Market ruvuga inkuru z'abatetsi, restaurant, abahinzi n'abandi bari kubaka umuco w'ibiryo mu Rwanda.