From the US to Kigali: Chef Billy brings distinct pizza experience, high-class cuisine

There is something unexplainable about a tasty pizza, you can’t resist the urge of placing order after order, even on a budget. The aroma, and taste, blended with the sauce, cheese, and toppings, among other ingredients, make the pizza yummy at the first bite. For pizza lovers, the best ‘plug’ is Kigali Pizza Company (KPC), a delivery-based pizza business. The mastermind of the mouthwatering pizzas is Chef Billy McCormick, who applies his expertise, and uniqueness to prepare and deliver tasty flavoured pizzas to clients in an appetizing way, yet affordable and on time. However, he didn’t want to be average, but extraordinary, by bringing to Rwanda lessons learned from the US, as he is certain that a bad pizza can mess up one’s day. Two years back, McCormick moved from the United States to Rwanda but realised that pizzas in Rwanda weren’t like those he feasted on in his native Philadelphia neighbourhood, dubbed ‘South Philly’, where good pizza is the ‘real deal’. He observed that people enjoy pizza but many pizzerias that weren’t up to clients’ standards had no option but to quit the business. On coming to Rwanda, McCormick invented a package consisting of the Kigali Pizza Company, a delivery-based pizza arm of the business, and a high-end restaurant known as “Le Petit Chalet” that serves scrumptious French cuisine, with an amazing ambiance allowing customers to gaze at the splendor of Kigali. One would wonder what goes into the process of presenting a ready, appealing pizza. Well, for McCormick, a good pizza goes beyond appearance, as packaging adds beauty to everything, which is why he packages it in a way that a client can receive it when it’s still warm and fresh. His special wrapped bags transport pizza within Kigali without losing its heat, yet adding every little detail that would make the whole experience worthwhile. The pizzeria setup consists of a small seating area for customers who want the pizza hot from the oven. From the observation of the kitchen, credit goes to proper food handling, hygiene, and the chef’s use of fresh ingredients which offer an organic taste to the pizza. Yet the spacious, modern kitchen adds the magic to everything, from preparing the dough, and sauce, to toppings and assembly. The Kigali Pizza Company has also offered job opportunities to 24 workers including motorists, waiters, cooks, and others. The upper floor of the building hosts a restaurant in a French Bistro style setting indoors, with a spotless state-of-the-art kitchen in full view where one can watch their dish being cooked, and an outdoor space that provides a mesmerising view of the city, especially at night. For a short time of existence, KPC has attracted daily customers, who provide feedback that has helped the pizzeria and Le Petit Chalet advance, making it a point to satisfy their customers’ cravings. Billy anticipates opening several pizzerias in Rwanda, with diverse target markets, serving all kinds of people such as children and birthday parties, corporate events, and so forth. He looks forward to equipping Rwandans with skills in culinary art, especially those with a thirst for the domain, but never got a chance to study. The Chef believes that that way, Rwanda will see more professionals, which obliviously means better food preparations and presentations. McCormick gains his satisfaction from sharing his knowledge with others and watching them grow and advance. He has trained a number of his staff whom he discovered had a passion for cooking. Take the example of Mariam Umugwaneza, despite attaining a course in culinary arts, she worked as a waitress at a local restaurant until she met McCormick who trained and hired her as an assistant chef at Le Petit Chalet. For her, having an international chef to learn from means a lot, stressing how he imparts values to them about respect, and love for food and urges them to express themselves using cuisine, and emphasising creativity. Umugwaneza urges youngsters to opt for such a profession as its respectable just like others. From her observation, restaurants and fine dining experiences in Rwanda have significantly improved over the years, and there is more hope for enhancement. McCormick was exposed to a rich food culture and has been a chef for approximately 36 years without necessarily attending culinary school. At the age of 16, he picked an interest in culinary art and pursued a course in the field in the best restaurants in Washington DC and Philadelphia in America. With enthusiasm for catering and creating exceptional meal styles, he exercised hard work, and a zeal for excellence that he elevated all the way to the top, showing his teachers his capability. In 2021, McCormick saw an opportunity amidst the pandemic when all American restaurants were closing down, to come and work for a restaurant in Kigali. At the end of his contract, all was not done for him yet in Rwanda. He and his wife had developed a love for Rwanda, and they yearned for their sons to be raised there, under strong African leadership.

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From the US to Kigali: Chef Billy brings distinct pizza experience, high-class cuisine