A Scoop of African flavors

 By Oyisa George

Tapi Tapi is an educational initiative that is based in Cape Town, South Africa. It focuses on sharing food and food culture from Africa with the world. 

Photo supplied 

Nestled in the heart of Cape Town, South Africa, Tapi Tapi restaurant is making waves in the culinary world with its tantalizing fusion of flavors and vibrant atmosphere. Situated amidst the bustling street of Observatory, Cape Town.  

“Tapi Tapi started off as a choice because I was good at making ice cream,” says Dr. Tapiwa Guzha the founder of Tapi Tapi. 

‘Tapi Tapi’ is a Shona phrase that means sweet sweet, and also plays on the founder’s name. 

Dr. Guzha is a Cape Town-based Zimbabwean living in South Africa for close to 2 decades. He came to South Africa to study; he has a Ph.D. in molecular biology. His mission is to use food to educate people about African culture.  

He uses ice cream as an educational tool to empower people to connect with their identities. Introduce them to unfamiliar flavors and the potential that the African continent has to offer. Tapi Tapi is primarily an educational space that happens to be in the food industry.  

“I used to make myself ice cream for 8 to 10 years before Tapi Tapi was founded,” says Dr Guzha. 

According to him, producing flavors is the easiest part of the job. He researches or is on the lookout for what is trending in Africa and sees if they could turn that into a desert. There is so much abundance of resources, ingredients, and food culture. He gives all the credit to the existing knowledge. 

Some flavors that are produced by Tapi Tapi were inspired by Gudzha's childhood memories. He had a home in Harare where he used to visit and his grandmother would make food like Amagwinya, jam, and  Munyembe to name a few. He found a way to turn those childhood/traditional meals he had into a desert context. 

“Our stories need telling in many different ways,” says Dr Gudzha. 

Tapi Tapi does not only fixate on ice cream, but they also bake, and make cocktails and there is an art gallery and music. They are using their Observatory café space to expand the possibilities of storytelling. 

Dr. Gudzha does not identify Tapi Tapi as a business but more of an educational space. He wants people to be able to grasp his teaching through food and be able to tell other people about African stories.