Zimbabwe is set to beam with pride as Nicola Kagoro, better known as Chef Cola, becomes the first Zimbabwean chef to feature on an Amazon Prime cooking series. She will appear in Dish It Out with Tilly Ramsay, a 32-episode show that premieres on Friday, September 5th, 2025, marking a groundbreaking moment not only for her but for Zimbabwe’s growing culinary identity on the global stage.
For Chef Cola, who has long championed Afro-vegan cuisine, this is more than a personal achievement. “This moment is bigger than me,” she says. “It’s about putting Zimbabwe on the global culinary radar and showing that African vegan food is innovative, sustainable, and absolutely delicious.” That mission has been at the heart of her work since 2016, when she launched African Vegan on a Budget to make plant-based eating accessible, affordable, and rooted in African food traditions.
Her appearance comes on a show designed for reach and impact. Hosted by Tilly Ramsay, daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, Dish It Out mixes celebrity appearances, viral food trends, and unexpected recipes with a fast-paced, youthful flair. Ramsay unboxes surprise ingredients and recipes submitted by famous chefs, social media creators, and family members, then cooks them with her own spin. The show premieres with a heavy star lineup, but Chef Cola’s inclusion represents something new: an African voice and a Zimbabwean culinary imagination breaking into mainstream global television.
In her episode, Chef Cola brings her trademark Afro-vegan style, weaving Zimbabwean traditions into plant-based recipes that resonate well beyond borders. It is the same approach that has seen her build a career across continents, from training at PLANT restaurant in Cape Town to hosting her Dinner with Chef Cola pop-up dining series in cities across Africa and beyond. Her menus reimagine indigenous ingredients with global techniques, positioning African vegan food as both rooted in heritage and forward-looking.
This balance of tradition and innovation is what has made Chef Cola a sought-after figure in food and conservation circles. For five years she worked as Executive Chef for the International Anti-Poaching Foundation’s all-female vegan ranger program, Akashinga, where she prepared sustainable meals for women conservationists protecting wildlife in Zimbabwe. The role linked her cooking directly to environmental sustainability, another theme that continues to define her brand. Alongside her food ventures, she has launched organic greenhouses in Zimbabwe and designed African-inspired chef jackets, tying her culinary vision to lifestyle and identity.
Recognition has followed. Chef Cola has been listed by Forbes for her entrepreneurial impact and was the first chef to host a live masterclass at the Forbes Africa Summit. Yet this Amazon Prime appearance arguably represents her boldest leap yet, placing her before a global audience that may not have encountered African vegan cuisine in such an accessible and entertaining way.
For Zimbabwe, the significance is hard to overstate. Local chefs often remain confined to regional platforms, and breaking into international food media has been rare. Chef Cola’s presence on Dish It Out signals that Zimbabwe’s food culture, long overshadowed on the global stage, has a voice and a story to tell. It points to a growing appetite for African food innovation, especially in plant-based cuisine, which is gaining traction worldwide as consumers demand healthier and more sustainable diets.
Zimbabweans eager to witness this historic moment will be able to tune in via Prime Video, with the first eight episodes of Dish It Out dropping on September 5 and new episodes released weekly until September 26. For Chef Cola, it is both a celebration and an opportunity to expand the reach of her mission. For Zimbabwe, it is a moment to see its culinary creativity represented on one of the world’s biggest platforms.
In the end, what makes Chef Cola’s journey compelling is how it bridges worlds: the local kitchens of Harare, the conservation fields of rural Zimbabwe, the fine dining tables of Cape Town and New York, and now the polished set of an Amazon Prime cooking show. Her episode promises not just recipes but a reminder that food, when rooted in culture and passion, can be a language powerful enough to carry a nation’s pride to global audiences.
