Isaya Magesa's Biography

photo of Isaya Magesa Isaya Magesa is from the Lake Victoria area, about two hours away from the Ikoma Gate of Serengeti National Park. He is the younger brother of Matata Msaro, also a Duma Explorer chef. He moved from Lake Victoria to Arusha in 1998 with his brother and they both enrolled in a cooking course at Green Valley. Before beginning employment as a mountain chef, Isaya opened his own restaurant near the central market in Arusha. The restaurant operated from 2003 until 2007. After closing the restaurant in 2007, Isaya returned to school at the Tropical Institute. He studied cooking for nine months with his brother.

After finishing his studies at Tropical Institute, Isaya began climbing Kilimanjaro as a mountain chef. He worked with two other companies in Arusha before joining Duma Explorer in 2008.

Isaya returned to school during the low season of 2010 (March to May) to complete a special course in vegetarian food. He climbs with many of Duma's vegetarian groups.

Isaya enjoys working for Duma Explorer because it treats its employees well and gives its chefs freedom to set the menus they know best. There is enough food for the porters and salaries are paid on time.

Some of Isaya's sample mountain dishes are outlined below:

Breakfast
Assorted fruits
Toast with butter and jam
Spanish omelette with sausage

Lunch
Fresh celery soup with rolls
'Tanzanian burrito' - A chapati stuffed with vegetables and meat
Assorted fruits

Dinner
Orange cocktail
Fresh pumpkin soup with bread
Coriander potato with chicken stew
Chocolate custard