In a country where culinary education has often been relegated to informal apprenticeship and traditional knowledge, the graduation of the first cohort of the Innovative Culinary Institute (ICI) marks a bold step in formalizing and professionalizing Liberia’s food and hospitality industry. The milestone event, held on June 28 in Monrovia, not only celebrated the achievements of the pioneering students but also highlighted the emerging relevance of culinary arts in national development and economic diversification.
Established in 2023, the Innovative Culinary Institute was founded with the vision of transforming how Liberia trains chefs and food service professionals. With global culinary trends, food safety protocols, and hospitality standards woven into its curriculum, the Institute has positioned itself as a trailblazer in vocational education. Saturday’s ceremony recognized graduates who have completed comprehensive programs in culinary arts, food entrepreneurship, hospitality management, and related disciplines.
Serving as keynote speaker, Dr. Moses Zinnah Joekai—a veteran educator and former chair of the National Commission on Higher Education—urged graduates to see themselves as agents of innovation and economic transformation.
“Today, you are not just graduating with skills to cook; you are graduating with a mandate to cook greatness,” Dr. Joekai declared. “The quality of food you prepare should be a reflection of the quality of change you want to see in Liberia.”
His remarks resonated strongly, especially in a country where youth unemployment is high and vocational education remains underfunded. Dr. Joekai emphasized that through creativity, consistency, and commitment, culinary professionals can redefine Liberia’s food narrative—making it a tool for tourism promotion, job creation, and national branding.
The ceremony drew attendees from the private sector, government ministries, and the diplomatic corps. Many praised the institute’s mission of integrating education with entrepreneurship. According to the Institute’s Executive Director, Chef Angie T. Richards, the goal is to graduate not just cooks but creators—individuals capable of launching restaurants, food delivery startups, and catering services that meet international standards.
“Our curriculum isn’t just about recipes and techniques. It’s about mindset, business development, and cultural storytelling through food,” Chef Richards noted. “Liberian cuisine has the power to put us on the global culinary map if developed and promoted the right way.”
Indeed, Liberia’s traditional dishes—like jollof rice, palm butter, cassava leaf, and dumboy—carry rich cultural significance. But for decades, they have lacked the platform and polish necessary for export or tourism attraction. The emergence of institutions like ICI, and their investment in elevating these dishes to world-class levels, signals a strategic shift.
The graduates are entering an economy still grappling with post-conflict recovery, food insecurity, and an over-reliance on imported goods—including basic food items. By focusing on local ingredients, sustainable sourcing, and nutrition education, the Institute hopes to reverse these trends.
One graduate, Mamie Soko, shared her ambition to open a farm-to-table café in Gbarnga, Bong County, where she intends to fuse organic farming with modern cooking. “We were taught to use our roots, literally—our culture, our crops, and our creativity—to build something that can grow,” she said.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has expressed interest in working with institutions like ICI to develop Liberia’s agro-processing and culinary tourism sectors. Plans are underway to integrate certified chefs into national events and to promote culinary festivals highlighting indigenous Liberian meals.
However, challenges remain. The high cost of kitchen equipment, limited access to finance for startups, and lack of standardized food safety enforcement still hamper the sector’s growth. Stakeholders at the graduation called on the government to provide policy incentives, including grants and microloans for culinary entrepreneurs.
In closing the ceremony, Dr. Joekai reminded all that excellence in culinary arts is not a luxury but a necessity for national pride and progress.
“Great nations are known by the strength of their culture. Food is culture. Therefore, your knives, your spoons, your stoves—these are your tools of transformation. Use them wisely.”
As the new graduates prepare to venture into hotels, restaurants, food startups, and even television cooking programs, their journey represents more than personal achievement—it is a signal that Liberia is slowly beginning to treat vocational skills, including culinary arts, as a legitimate and vital pillar of national development.
