Culinary Innovation Village Rwanda Opens July 2025
The wait is over! After years of planning and construction, the Culinary Innovation Village in Musanze, Rwanda, has officially opened its doors, training the next generation of African chefs. Located against the stunning backdrop of volcanic mountains and Lake Ruhondo, this groundbreaking facility is already making waves in the culinary world.
Training Programs in Full Swing
Since opening its doors just this month in July 2025, the Culinary Innovation Village has been buzzing with excitement. Students from across Africa are diving into hands-on learning with internationally renowned chefs, discovering both traditional African cooking techniques and modern culinary innovation. Originally planned to open in December 2024, the facility finally launched in July 202, while construction was 75% complete by June 2025 – showing the team’s eagerness to get started on transforming African cuisine.
Currently, in mid-July, the training programs are covering security and hygiene standards as part of the foundational curriculum, while students become familiar with the incredible facilities and local ingredients.
Meet the Visionary: Chef Dieuveil Malonga
Behind this revolutionary project is Chef Dieuveil Malonga, a Congolese-born culinary artist who has travelled to 48 African countries to understand the continent’s incredible food diversity. After training in Germany and working in Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe, Malonga returned to Africa with a mission: to showcase the richness of African cuisine to the world.
His restaurant, Meza Malonga in Kigali, has already earned international recognition, and the Culinary Innovation Village represents the next chapter in his “food revolution.” The project recently earned a spot on TIME’s 2025 World’s Greatest Places list, cementing its status as a must-visit destination.
What Makes This Place Special
The Culinary Innovation Village isn’t just another cooking school; it’s Africa’s first food innovation ecosystem. Located in Musekera, Musanze District, this integrated project combines three groundbreaking elements:
- Experimental farm for studying local resources and climate-friendly food solutions
- A culinary training centre where students learn by doing to become masters
- Restaurant space for real-world experience
The 17-acre facility focuses on food practices as efficient climate solutions, studying local insects, ancient grains, and pulses as alternatives to reduce meat consumption. It’s also about empowering communities to preserve their environment while creating opportunities for young people and women in the region through gastro-tourism.
First Guests: Learning from Global Masters
In these early weeks since opening, the village has already welcomed some incredible international chefs for its exchange program:
- Chef Nuncy from the Bahamas 🇧🇸 who led the very first master class
- Chef Fernando Penuela from Colombia 🇨🇴 sharing Latin American techniques
- Chef Yalem Tef from Ethiopia 🇪🇹 bringing East African traditions
These are just the first of many international collaborations planned, giving students exciting global perspectives while keeping African cuisine at the heart of their learning.
First Innovation Project: Urwagwa Beer
One of the first exciting projects to come out of the village has been the collaboration with Chef Fernando Penuela on Urwagwa beer: a traditional Rwandan alcoholic beverage made from fermented banana juice. This ancient drink, typically brewed in wooden containers or clay pots, plays a central role in Rwandan celebrations and community gatherings.
This project perfectly captures what the village is all about: honouring tradition while embracing innovation. It’s the first of many creative collaborations we can expect as more chefs visit and more students immerse themselves in their training.
Impact Beyond the Kitchen
The vision for the Culinary Innovation Village is for it to be a catalyst for rural development in Rwanda. By promoting gastronomy tourism and showcasing local ingredients, the project is creating economic opportunities for farmers, producers, and young people in the Musanze region.
The facility is part of the Chefs in Africa collective, a network of over 4,000 chefs working to promote climate-friendly cooking and African culinary excellence across the continent.
What’s Next?
Since we’re still in the early days, there’s so much more to come! The village is planning more international chef exchanges, expanding training programs, and continuing research into climate-friendly food solutions. The remaining construction phases will add even more capacity for innovation and learning.
Fondation Jean-François de Clermont-Tonnerre is proud to support this transformative project that perfectly aligns with our mission of promoting education and opportunities for people around the world. Together, we’re helping redefine African gastronomy while creating real opportunities for the next generation.
For aspiring chefs interested in being part of this food revolution, the village offers a unique opportunity to learn African cuisine from the ground up and to help shape its future.
The Culinary Innovation Village is proving that African cuisine has incredible potential. With passionate leadership and innovative training programs, they’re shaping the future of food in Africa.