Celebrating four years of achievements with a bang

WHEN Alissa Ruxin, an American with masters in public health, first moved to Rwanda in 2006, she assumed that she would find work in the public health sector. Instead, Ruxin spent her first year in Rwanda volunteering with Generation Rwanda, an organisation that provides university scholarships for orphans. Her work illuminated the reality that many secondary school graduates are unable to pay for university and have insufficient experience to gain employment. Six years later, Ruxin is a social entrepreneur and owner of Heaven Restaurant, a thriving business in Kiyovu that not only features international fusion cuisine, but also invests in training in hospitality skills with the larger mission to help raise the standard in customer service and culinary excellence in Rwanda.Friday marked the fourth anniversary of Heaven, and Ruxin and her husband, Josh, celebrated with 225 guests to the live beats of a band on the restaurant’s outdoor terrace overlooking Kigali.Ruxin, who now has three children, calls Heaven her “first child.” “[Josh and I] were two public health experts with absolutely no experience with business or running a restaurant,” said Ruxin, and laughed, “But we are also foodies. So we took a major financial and personal risk and decided to build a restaurant from scratch.”Rwanda’s Vision 2020 underscores tourism and hospitality as key drivers in the country’s prosperity. Ruxin hoped to contribute to this vision by building a social for-profit business that specifically targeted international tourists, business travelers, the expat community, and professional Rwandans, while also investing in training young Rwandans in a new skill set that made them employable for the future.“Many people believe that in order to do good, you have to work in non-profit,” said Ruxin, “but I believe that by building capacity and investing in the work force and people in Rwanda, we’re developing future leaders and entrepreneurs.”Since opening in May 2008, Heaven has operated as a restaurant but also as a venue for many private functions – fundraisers for NGOs, conferences, and workshops for groups that include Dian Fossey’s Gorilla Fund and the Nike Foundation’s initiative “Girl Hub.” The restaurant has served celebrities and public figures such as actress Scarlett Johansson, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, and politician Cindy McCain. Most recently in 2011, Heaven partnered with the Akilah Institute for Women to bring in hospitality interns and rotate them through the restaurant’s kitchen. In a predominantly male-driven service industry, Ruxin is proud that seven of Heaven’s fifteen Rwandese staff members are women. The restaurant also supports ten different cooperatives and promotes the work of local artists. “We want Heaven to be a restaurant and a cultural venue,” said Ruxin, “We try to engage the community in cultural events. We want our space to be welcoming to everybody.”Ruxin continuously seeks opportunities to grow Heaven’s business and brings in professional chefs from America and Europe, as well as hospitality experts, to train the restaurant’s staff. In June, Heaven is slated to bring in a chef from New York City to lead staff trainings, produce gourmet food and contribute to culinary training throughout Rwanda.“Our dream is for Heaven to not only be a restaurant but also a training facility, a restaurant slash school,” said Ruxin, “I was so proud of [Friday] night because I’ve seen how far Heaven has come.”Looking ahead, Ruxin plans for Heaven to continue training Rwandans who want to learn practical skills for the service industry. Heaven has also just opened a guest house that offers lower-cost accommodations in Kiyovu. Ruxin’s favorite items on Heaven’s menu?“One of our best starters is the chicken boulette with spicy peanut sauce. Then, filet of beef with cassava chimichurri, and for dessert, the warm chocolate brownie is very popular,” said Ruxin, and adds, “Oh, and our homemade ice cream is now sold by the pint.”

Leisure

Celebrating four years of achievements with a bang