Kironde Sr shines at Verve Hotel in Natick

Senteza Kadumukasa Kironde is my middle son out of three boys and was born in September 1985. That era was one of the most turbulent and difficult we have ever experienced in Uganda. Bear in mind that the population was 15 million or so, and we had been through the liberation war of 1979 which left the country scarred and in turmoil. Having married Senteza’s mother in 1983, we had our first child in December of that very same year followed by Senteza in 1985 and Mpagi Kalibala Kironde the last born in 1988.

From the outset Senteza appeared to be an unusual child in that he was calm natured, kind and generous, always among the top ten in his class and we knew that he had a bright future ahead of him. The other observation was that he had more than a casual interest in cooking food. He was always curious about the meals that I used to prepare something that stood him in great stead when he was at Budo. He was known to jazz up the instant noodles that would be part of his tuck and ask became famous for making them into something more than the ordinary. I must give credit to their mother who died of cancer a few years ago who had the foresight to suggest that the boys attend Safari Kindergarten, which was one of two elite nurseries in Kampala after which he followed his elder brother Gulemye to Kampala Parents School and then onto King’s College Budo for his O level studies.

At the turn of the century the boys and their mother immigrated to America where they attended university with Senteza managing to gain a place at the much respected Babson College known as the founder and steward of entrepreneurship education in America. He did his undergraduate degree from there as well as his MBA and then worked for Brown Brothers and Harriman for several years and is presently with J P Morgan. Along the way, while at Uni, through the urging and encouragement of his mother, Senteza began cooking for parties and get togethers and that is how Sentie’s kitchen came about. 

Today Sentie’s kitchen has become a household name among the Ugandan community and others in Boston and while at the same time working full time for J P Morgan. Last month on April 29th Sentie’s Kitchen participated in the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce 11th Annual Taste of MetroWest and bagged the prize for best entrée. In his own words let us here from the maestro himself:

Yesterday was surreal. Sentie’s Kitchen was tasked with  making and serving 1000 small plates of food for the 11th Annual Taste of MetroWest Restaurant Challenge that was held at The Verve Hotel in Natick, MA. As if that wasn’t daunting enough, ticket holders had been promised an opportunity to savor the region’s finest cuisines and drinks from local restaurants and vote for their favorites. The competition was stiff you guy! We were facing off with big name restaurants like Legal Seafoods, 110 Grill, Burtons Grill and bar, Skybox 109, hotels like Hilton, The Verve, Sheraton and several other local restaurants with well renowned chefs. Nze ani? 

When we arrived, we were amazed by our competitors’ elaborate displays and delicious looking food and drinks. Sentie’s Kitchen had earned a spot in the exhibit and it was time to stand on business! Our entree was Rice & Peas, smoked ribs and sautéed collard greens (add “sautéed” to sound fancy…mbakange mu  ). With zero expectations, we started serving up plates as the crowds poured in. In what seemed like a blink of an eye, two and half hours had rushed by and the votes were being collected from each station. We were so busy cleaning up that we almost missed the announcement, after all we had no expectations and were delighted to even be able to feature alongside all the talent in the room.  Suddenly the room went silent and I heard station 31 being called on the microphone and I realized that was us. The cameras, microphones and videos made a dash to our station.

Sentie’s Kitchen had pulled it off! We had won the award for 2024 best entree and it was magical. Crowds of people came to congratulate us and to tell us it was well deserved. In that moment I realized that I had bet on myself and now the king of African BBQ was out to conquer the MetroWest one plate at a time. We got next 

Congratulations to all the winners and I thank the MetroWest Chamber of commerce for this wonderful opportunity.