Tukanogewa na Nyama kwa ChefKile's

By Caroline Uliwa

Kile Aminieli on the job better known as Chef Kile
showing us how it's done at his restaurant.

It was a friend that made me aware of this place, where they choma nyama called ChefKile’s. So I stopped by and ended up going there three times! Ofcourse I had to write about it, you see being a blood 0+ carrier, four legged animals barbecues are revered by me and Lo behold. I have never tasted beef like what Kile Aminieli-40 makes and has coined at this restaurant’s residence in Mbezi Beach Dar es Salaam, Beef Only.

The dish arrives in short thick cow bones covered in steak that could well be fillet, in the way they are so tender. Peeling off like velvet from the bone, allowing your digestive system to feel as though it’s grinding an avocado.

In the middle is that 'Beef Only' am salivating about

On my third visit we had a rare chance to sit with the man. When asked where his affair with food began he responds. “It’s like this, if it’s in you, you will feel it all the time… Growing up I knew I liked food but probably the hint that it was more than that, came in the rare times when I was allowed as a boy to cook for the family. Their appreciation was really big which solidified my passion for food.” Kile or Chef Kile as he is popularly known, shared more of his journey into this business. Which is officially registered as Chef Kile Barbeque Delicacy and is currently a partnership between five.

That 'AhAhChicken'

Chef Kile post his tertiary education was qualified to work in the IT industry, he worked here in various Telecom companies for five years, before deciding to venture into entrepreneurship. Among the businesses he ran include owning and driving a daladala, as well as working as a consultant in the IT field in search engine optimisation & graphic designing.


However his passion for food gnawed at him and finally in 2008, he had saved up enough money to allow himself to incubate at home for two years. Studying how to cook online practising in his own kitchen. He visited the crooks and crannies of Bongo's cuisine industry, which informed him of the gap of gourmet beef especially barbecue in the same. So it fairs at ChefKile's they are proud of their beef.

During his incubation he would call friends during the weekend after purchasing meat, then continue to invite them to a barbecue for tasting. This developed a tradition that saw his friends chipping in to buy the ingredients, some of these friends are his partners in this business employing over 25 persons to date.

A Beef platter at ChefKile's photo courtesy of a satisfied customer

“It’s not that we don’t cook anything else…” Chef Kile adds and in deed in my three visits at this restaurant. I have as well tasted ‘AhAhChicken’ (It’s on their menu, a must taste for chicken lovers). I was also lucky enough, to sample a pizza Chef Kile was perfecting to be on the menu. I mean the guy can cook, save for the dough of it, the cheese was oozing, the meat tender, the condiments fresh!

In my first two visits I was lucky to be in a group of fun loving people, among which was an engaged couple. Looking to source ChefKile’s to provide the desert menu for their wedding. They offered me a taste of what Kile Aminieli had prepared for them. It was a strawberry crumble with Ice Cream, I didn’t taste the ice cream just the crumble. I mean it was rich and warm to the dough for it was fresh off the oven, the strawberries sourced from our own Lushoto were so well coaxed with that dish to indeed consummate a marriage.

Ok it’s not all roses, my advice to the establishment is to ground Chef Kile Aminieli in the kitchen! He roams around a tad much and who can blame him, this is his baby. I didn't get the sense he doesn't trust his partners au contraire he was very proud of his team.

Still as you may know the longevity of any restaurant depends on consistency in the main product, this means the star chef has to make sure every customer leaves feeling like I did. a queen. You can learn more on this restaurant here ChefKile's or visit their Instagram page @chefkile which has a yummy following 106K last we checked.

This article was first published in The East African Newspaper in East Africa.