Inside a Kampala dining experience where food told stories of identity, migration

On a warm Saturday evening in Kololo, the latest edition of The Singleton Chef’s Table unfolded not just as a fine dining experience, but as a journey through history, identity and flavor, told through the voice and cuisine of British-Jamaican chef April Charlotte.

Hosted at Kardamom and Koffee and curated by premium whiskey, The Singleton, the intimate gathering brought together Kampala’s growing community of food enthusiasts for an experience that blurred the lines between storytelling and gastronomy.

For Chef April, the starting point was not Jamaica, but Uganda.

She spoke with visible excitement about discovering local ingredients, particularly Ugandan coffee, now globally celebrated, and vanilla, which she described as “underrated” despite its richness and depth. It was a reminder that even within a curated international dining experience, local produce remained central.

But it was in the unexpected combinations that the evening truly came alive. A passionfruit hot sauce, paired with salted fish, stood out as one of her most surprising discoveries - an accidental fusion that quickly became a highlight of the table.

“I didn’t know until yesterday that that could happen,” she admitted, capturing the spontaneity that defined the evening.

As guests worked through the courses, Chef April gently challenged them on their familiarity with Jamaican cuisine. Few hands went up. It was, she suggested, an opportunity - to “do better”, but also an invitation to understand the deeper roots of what they were tasting.

Jamaican food, she explained, is not singular in origin. It is layered, shaped by Africa, India, and the Caribbean’s complex past. The salted fish served that evening, traditionally cod, had been reimagined using local tilapia, an adaptation that anchored the dish in Uganda while preserving its essence.

The sorrel and spice blends paid homage to Indian indentured laborers who carried their culinary traditions to the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, the main course, rice and peas, sparked a moment of cultural recognition. Often mistaken for rice and beans, Chef April traced its origins back to Ghana, linking it to the dish “waakye.” For her, this connection was more than culinary, it was personal.

“I find it so beautiful,” she said, reflecting on how food maps history. Through the transatlantic slave trade, displaced people carried fragments of their identity across oceans, embedding them in the cuisines of new lands.

For Chef April, these dishes are a way of tracing heritage, of understanding where she comes from.

Even the preparation methods told stories of resistance. The smoked wings, infused with pimento wood, referenced the ingenuity of enslaved people who used smoke not just for cooking, but as a means of survival, masking their scent as they fled.

According to one of the bartenders of the day, Preston, also a trainer with the Diageo Bar Academy, from their side, they were not simply pouring drinks, they carefully paired these Singleton based cocktails with the menu of the day.

“The cocktails complemented the menu being served, thus it was an experience where cocktails were made based on the food served,” he said.

For Simon Lapyem, The Singleton East Africa, Brand Manager, The Chef’s Table seeks to celebrate cultures, bring people together and spark conversations.

“We believe great food has the power to bring people together across cultures, and whisky plays a role in elevating that connection,” the brand manager said.

“Experiences like this are about more than pairing dishes with The Singleton, they are about storytelling, discovery and creating moments that people carry with them long after the table is cleared.”

By the time dessert arrived, the narrative had softened into indulgence. A rich, spirit-laden creation, featuring The Singleton whisky alongside Jamaican, Mauritian and Ugandan rums, closed the meal on a note of excess and warmth.

Alongside it were playful additions: a dairy-free chocolate moelleux, a nod to French technique, and banana fritters paired with coconut, tying back to Caribbean comfort.

Throughout the evening, what emerged most clearly was Chef April’s philosophy: food is never just food. It is memory, migration, adaptation and identity, plated and shared.