Afro Futuristic Cuisine and Art

The difference between a stone and a sculpture is the presence or absence of creativity or art. The determination of the price and aesthetics of art is a very complex and relative fact.

My approach to food is multidimensional. One of those dimensions being art. The months of October have by far been the richest months in my career in so many ways, yet this week topped it all. While returning from a conference on the use highly hazardous pesticides in Kenya, especially those pesticides that have been banned in the West but still being exported to Africa. While the conference had great presentations, it would have been so much more impactful had the food consumed been free from the pesticides being castigated. That’s was an added reason to find somewhere I could eat what I call “just food” or food without toxic contamination. I thought that I would take the opportunity to stop by one of my best friend’s farm and spend a little time with his family. a class in the village of Karunga that was organized within a day, a group of villagers showed up to deal me one of my biggest surprise. Besides just showing up with very short notice and sitting patiently throughout the almost 5 hour class. I stretched my imagination to the limits by using only local ingredients except for spices and salt.

As we cruised through the whole process from theory to practice, I was ever aware of the great opportunity for me to learn as I was about what I was sharing. As any astute researcher, I was curious about the question of portion size amongst other things. One of the most common question I get from my fellow Kenyans is on the issue of portion size.

I therefore closely observed both the reaction of the guests upon receiving their plates and their reactions towards the end. I went to great lengths to decorate the plate with edible flowers. The plate was essentially a vegan plate with a slice of a pastured egg, mainly as a decoration and decoy from the obvious bias towards proteins.

My observation was that art and creativity can positively contribute to food literacy on two levels.First and foremost, the decoration of the plate seemed to make the food on the plate more valuable and therefore consumed with a lot of intentionality, savoring every bite. Secondly, those who asked for second round were quite satisfied with even smaller portions, but also partly driven by curiosity in taste.

The second surprise was the biggest for me. When asked to price the experience the guests gave a price tag of an average of $700. Even if I was to assume that the guests hyped the price and therefore cut it by half, $ 350 is a price high enough in the village context for a nice piece of art. I have to though clarify that the guests were from above average income level, with majority having moved from the city. Either way, I was impressed, not by the price tag, but by the level of appreciation of art in food and its potential. That potential is to radically improve our relationship with food from consumption with little awareness of the great possibilities to address our pressing social problems to enriching our quality of life in extraordinary ways.

Chef Kabui

The Hex Kitchen is a collaboration between Chef Kabui and the Hex community in a bid to promote food literacy, mindful eating and wealth creation. There is a natural connection between those who are fighting against fiat currency and those engaged in the struggle against fiat food. The two social ills of fiat currency and fiat food are at the heart of the tyrannic global world system we are now living in. That tyranny is directly connected to the climate crisis we face and there is no way we can solve one part of the problem without being mindful of the whole system, For a start, the Hex Kitchen is keen on addressing the issues of real money and real food as a basis on regaining our sovereign power. It is no accident that the struggle for food justice would find allies in cryptography and more specifically cryptocurrency. It is not a usual collaboration but yet it is one that makes sense on many levels. Chef Kabui has been studying and applying the power of food literacy, mindful eating and food justice in the struggle against oppression in general and specifically to people of African descent.

Chef Kabui has studied the disciplines of politics, anthropology and culinary arts and has designed a cuisine or rather an approach to food that is informed by the above experience and the indigenous knowledge that he gained from his Kenyan family’s history as sustainable farmers for generations. The combined experience and education resulted in the creation of a cuisine called Afro Futuristic Conscious Cuisine. It is a combination of the most sustainable practices in the growing, preparation of food with the goal of causing the least damage to the environment and maximizing the health benefits of the food. Those two conditions are necessary for a mindful community that ensures that justice thrives.

Chef Kabui has been pushing organic food and healthy eating based on his research and his own experience. The idea of healthy food and justice is not something that chef Kabui got into but was born in it. His family operated a farm and his father ran a restaurant in the capital city of Nairobi. Kabui grew up in the village with his mother where they grew almost all the food they consumed. It was at his family farm that he Kabui developed a love for fresh food and the art of consuming food following the natural cycles of seasons.

The collaboration aims to share the skills for healthy food to the Hex community and beyond. No community can survive without food and the Hex community is no different. The Hex Kitchen is another assembly point for the community to be nourished both physically and socially. While wealth is private, food is social and having a kitchen for the community to assemble is a great option for a community that is causing ripples across the world.

What to Expect

The Kitchen will have virtual classes, content on Youtube and other social media presence for a start. The goal is that the Kitchen will have a physical place that will have a kitchen in a farm that will grown food and have space that guest can visit. The farm will have a demonstration farm for the vegetables, fruits and herbs,

For the schedule of upcoming classes please visit our events section and find a class that is fit for your schedule.