Victoire Gouloubi, a strong and courageous woman from Brazzaville (born May 8, 1981), has revitalized her life through her innate talent for cooking. Today, she is the ultimate expression of African cuisine in the world, with her genius and prestigious international awards.
The Republic of Congo was torn apart by two civil wars: first in 1997 and then in 1999. Both were devastating for the country and had a radical impact on Victoire’s life. In 2001, she found refuge in Italy, hosted by her priest uncle along with her brother from a large family of 15 children.
An Inner Calling
“Becoming a chef is not a desire, passion is not enough. It is a vocation that comes from an inner calling. A sort of ‘military profession’ that is extremely rigid and demanding for anyone, whether man or woman. It represents a universal language that allows you to connect with every inhabitant of the world.”
Her training took place between France and Italy alongside many Michelin-starred chefs. Marc Farellaci, a multi-starred chef, chose her as his first female and black “sous chef.” In 2009, in Milan, Victoire Gouloubi became the first black female Executive Chef in Italy. Her cuisine is complex and rigorous, only seemingly simple, where the flavors are distinct and the cooking methods are varied and impeccable.
Demonized in the Kitchen
Chef Victoire has had to overcome almost insurmountable obstacles: “I was demonized in the kitchen not only as a woman, but also because of the color of my skin. However, I realized that it was a problem for those who had it, not for me. Passion is not enough to become a great professional, it takes years of practice, sacrifice, listening, and above all, you need to identify your mission. Mine, for example, is to reclaim the creativity of black people from the African continent and to show the culinary complexity of my land.”
Legacy from the Grandmothers
Now her mission is to spread a cuisine, or rather cuisines, Afro-Caribbean, little known and often misunderstood, with a completely modern, cultural approach: “Because the discovery of our culture passes first of all through the knowledge of our cuisine. I inherited my culinary heritage from my grandmothers, but at first I didn’t find my vocation, I wanted to study. I ran away to Italy to do that, not only to leave the war behind.”
A Tribute to Culture
For the Congolese artist, cooking is a way to pay homage to her culture and achieve freedom. “African cuisines have been handed down orally for generations. Today, many actors in the culinary and gastronomic sector of the African continent are building a library over time to tell the stories of our countless cultures. For this reason, I am also writing a book.”
Another ineluctable asset is inclusivity, well-being, welcoming everyone to the table: “In Africa as in Italy, especially in the South, sitting at the table does not only mean being with family, anyone is welcome for the pleasure of sharing, eating well with home-made recipes.”
Symbolic Ingredients
Congo and the whole of Africa are represented by a variety of unique ingredients. “For Congo, shea butter,” emphasizes Chef Victoire, “and for the whole of Africa, fonio, Kivu pepper, tamarind, moringa and okra. Our cuisines are preventive, based on vegetables, tubers, spices, cereals and vegetable proteins. Your Western cuisine, on the other hand, is curative, because it has to repair the damage caused by years of consumerism and excessive use of animal proteins. Food is no longer seen as subsistence, nowadays many people eat to improve their well-being. People are much more careful about what they eat, where they do it and why. A very important approach, because once we try to cure ourselves by eating, we prevent disease. And what better cure is there than prevention? The goal is a cuisine that is tasty but also healthy and that makes you leave the table feeling good.”
A True Honor for Air-Dynamic
“A wonderful Chef Victoire! A refined experience for me and for our team,” enthuses the soul of the private aviation company in Lugano. “I had a very positive feeling with her from the first contact. After all, Africa has always been an important part of my life. At the age of 9, I made my first trip, to Senegal, and even today, I get goosebumps when I think about it: the perfume of the women, the bracelets they wear, which are made with elephant tail hair, and the sight of the baobab tree, which was one of the most exciting moments, of which I still have clear memories. For me, the ‘mal d’Africa’ started at a young age.”
The Sales & Marketing Director of Air-Dynamic has given moments of emotion and well-being to her entire team, who were able to taste the dishes directly at the Lugano-Agno airport headquarters: “Meeting Chef Victoire has rekindled in me that positive energy that I wanted to embrace intensely, thanks to a very talented artist, a woman, a gritty woman, who enhances refinement with her very bright summer colors, which transmit an intense message not only for the palate. Air-Dynamic wants to offer its art on truly unique occasions. It is a true honor for us.”
“In our business, we are very attentive to cultures: African, Indian, American, understood as cuisine, religions, way of speaking, of thinking, gestures and habits. These are the aspects of contact and empathy that allow us to communicate with our clients in order to have real relationships,” concludes Raffaella Meledandri.
