Goodbye; The story of a woman who quit her job to cook at her son’s wedding

No one anticipated this moment-not even her boss. She had joined the civil service as a junior executive just a few years ago, yet her work ethic and rapport with colleagues quickly saw her rise through the ranks.

Her future walked brightly before her. Yet that day, she walked into her boss’ office and simply handed in a resignation letter. Her boss resisted with hesitation, but she was determined.

Painful goodbyes were exchanged, and everyone spoke of how they would miss her. Her boss asked her to reconsider launching-into a lengthy lecture about the difficulty of finding a good job in this country. “You are throwing away a promising career, to the strange world of the unknown…” her boss had insisted.

It’s the strange world she wanted to embrace, and all this advice simply fell to the wind. She simply wanted to be a full time cook.

She had a few savings, something stashed away for a rainy day – and it did not just rain that day, it poured. A tempest of doubt, criticism, and the fear of the unknown formed heavy clouds around her, but her resolve kept her on her feet in the rain and out in the sun.

“My name is Jane Asimwe Draville,” she said, enunciating her name with a deliberate clarity, as if teaching a child, the importance of pronouncing such a name correctly. “Dra-vi-lle,” she repeated slowly, ensuring I grasped each syllable.

Leaning in, she checked to see as I scribble her name onto my now worn out notebook. She then fixes her gaze on me as a scientist would to a chemical reaction in the lab. She then nods in approval. I had written her name correctly. “Draville”! Yet, no one calls her by this name. Most people simply call her “Mama.”

For the first time, she sat on a plane—Uganda Airlines—where the cabin crew greeted her with warmth and friendliness. Here, she was flying to South Africa-to her son’s wedding, where she would be the cook; chef-if you like.

Yes, mama was going to cook at this wedding, bringing along an array of Ugandan spices and dishes to share on this special occasion. Onboard also were friends and relatives. This was many years after leaving that job where she was told she was “throwing away a promising career”.

Her son, like all her children had been to the most prestigious schools that the world would offer. Mama and family had now chattered a plane to meet this beautiful girl from the other end of Africa -Cameroon.

A few months earlier, he had called her with stammering excitement as he broke the news. “I, I have found a girl to marry” he said. This, folks, is almost every mother’s dream for her son. He then went on to assure her that she was a good girl and very cultured, and could cook delightful dishes as hers. Now mama would witness as his son and this lovely girl make promises of eternity to each other, as the priest prayed a blessing of: the fruit of the womb, prosperity, peace , bliss on them-perhaps even a blessing for culinary skills!. Then they would all sit and have a good meal cooked by her. She’d done it, and done it right!

Mama gestures a lot with her hands. A very expressive woman, she shows me her hands. They are intricate yet calloused, with short nails devoid of polish reflecting a life devoted to the culinary vocation.

She tells her story with a sense of pride. “I have always loved a good meal, and cooking was my calling. My journey began in 1984—not in a prestigious culinary institute, but in my mother’s kitchen, she too was an amazing cook.”

“Ours was a simple kitchen, three stones made the fireplace, there were lots of wood hanging from the grass thatched roof,” she smiles, as she reminisces on what her child-hood was made of.

“There were different sizes of pots, lots of soot stained utensils and endless love. My mom was a master of her art” she says. “Everything in the kitchen obeyed her, and from it, she made meals that left the village women envious. My mother’s kitchen was the place of my training,” she adds.

Mama says she turned her home kitchen into a different culinary setup, where she shared the first meals with her neighbours until she put a small fee to it. Not long after, Mama was receiving orders for parties and weddings, and in each venture, she would empty her heart and skill into making the tastiest meals.

As more people sought her services, she grew her team and trained them in the meticulous art of food. Every day, as the clock makes a slow journey to lunch time, Mama can be seen, clad in her uniform, bringing more than just meals to her clients.

APTnews met her, as she she served a team from the Presidential Skilling initiative during the just concluded tradefair.

These trainees (from the Skilling Initiative) are not just ordinary students; they are picked from some of Uganda’s wretched corners—former prostitutes’ thieves, robbers, societal outcasts and some just from broken homes trying a chance in life.

For many of these youths, a good meal is the bond that connects them to hope and dignity. Her food nourishes not only their bodies but also their souls, reminding them that they, too, can add a brick to this nation.

On her shoulders are the marks of countless culinary creations. Mama Draville has become a culinary beacon for many young people, generously passing on her skills and igniting a new generation of chefs eager to learn. A life devoted to the art of food- a voice that speaks of an endless capacity for hope and promise that resides within us all…

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