He also had a big dream: to bring food from their homeland to Detroit. He participated in a local entrepreneurship program in 2017 and the couple won the $50,000 prize to help them start their restaurant. In early 2021, they finally opened the doors of their light-hearted restaurant, Baobab Fare, in the throes of the pandemic.
The awards have rolled in. In February, the couple was named semifinalists for Best Chef in the James Beard awards for a second time, and in March, Mr. Mamba an episode of “Chopped”, a cooking competition on the Food Network, and with it $10,000. Now they’re donating that prize money to Freedom House Detroit, the nonprofit that helped Ms. Nijimbere and other asylum seekers like her escape persecution.
“Mamba is what you want the rest of humanity to be,” said Freedom House Detroit CEO Elizabeth Orozco-Vasquez.
Mamba, 42, grew up in Burundi in East Africa and learned to cook traditional regional flavors from his mother, who owned a restaurant. She taught him to cook with his senses, not just recipes, which gave him an advantage on “Chopped” when faced with proteins he was unfamiliar with, such as ostrich and scallops. But he said the culinary skills that landed him on the show can’t compare to his wife’s talent.
“I’m not even the best cook, but Nadia,” he said.
However, Ms. Nijimbere, 41, is not in the limelight and did not want to appear on national television. Mr. Mamba almost turned down the “Chopped” producers, but decided to join himself because he thought it was important to share their food and the story of how two refugees became small businesses.
