Kenyan Chef Wins Hearts With Traditional Food in Beijing

Kenyan chef and entrepreneur Velma Aleso Omuyoma is building a following in Beijing with a business serving traditional Kenyan dishes to East African expatriates and local diners.

Omuyoma runs Velma’s African Kitchen in Beijing’s Sanlitun district, where she serves dishes including pilau, chapati, ugali and stews. She operates through venues such as Victory Bar & Bistro and uses WeChat to receive orders.

Her culinary career developed during her time at the Kenyan Embassy in China, where she worked as a housekeeper and chef. Among those who sampled her cooking was former President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, who praised her skills and described her as a “Sangoma in the kitchen”.

Her reputation also led to an invitation to cater for the Gabonese Embassy during its independence celebrations, further establishing her as a trusted provider of African cuisine in Beijing. Omuyoma’s move into entrepreneurship followed an unexpected setback in 2019. 

She had travelled to China to work for Ambassador Michael Kinyanjui but lost her job that year. Instead of returning to Kenya, she decided to remain in Beijing and start her own business. Her menu focuses on familiar Kenyan flavours, providing East Africans living in China with dishes associated with home while introducing Chinese customers to East African cuisine.

Omuyoma has also had to navigate differences between Kenyan and Chinese food preferences. Seafood and gelatinous textures commonly found in some Chinese dishes can be unfamiliar to East Africans, who are more accustomed to firm cuts of meat and staples such as maize-based foods.

Through her kitchen, Omuyoma caters to both communities by providing familiar meals for the Kenyan diaspora while giving local diners an opportunity to experience Kenyan food.