In a professional kitchen tucked inside the Cité Fertile, a vibrant cultural hub on the outskirts of Paris, Marie-Clarisse Bonzia carefully arranges trays of colourful canapés destined for a prestigious corporate event later that evening.
Among them are cassava and okra mini-quiches served with mango curry sauce, alongside mafé-marinated chicken skewers, or sweet potato bites with cream cheese and Likouala pepper.
“My cuisine is a bridge between Congo, my home country, and France”, smiles Marie-Clarisse. “I learned French culinary techniques to showcase ingredients from back home.”
That bridge is more than culinary.
The soft-spoken-chef had never imagined that her cooking skills would change her destiny. She spent much of her career working in administration before her life took an unexpected turn.
