What began as flexible work while studying evolved into a career that took Meskerem ‘Messi’ Mahari from restaurant kitchens in the US and UK to Kampala’s evolving dining scene, where she is now helping shape new ways of experiencing food and hospitality.
At Kardamom and Koffee in Kololo, the rhythm of service is never entirely predictable.
On this afternoon, the conversation moves easily between football, food, and how dining experiences are built. It is interrupted often by tasting notes, small corrections, and the clink of glassware being set down and picked up again.
At the centre of it all is Meskerem Mahari, known simply as Messi, moving between roles as organiser, collaborator, and taster. Before the formal interview begins, cocktails prepared for an upcoming Chef’s Table Africa event arrive at the table. They are passed around, sampled, and immediately discussed.
‘This is the Orchard Honey Highball,’ says bartender Preston Okot.
A brief pause follows.
‘Too sweet,’ someone says.
‘Less syrup, more soda,’ another adds.
It is less a presentation than a working session, and it reflects how she now approaches hospitality: nothing is fixed until it has been tested.
A name that stayed
Messi’s nickname often raises questions, but she is quick to clarify that it is not borrowed.
‘I was Messi before him,’ she says, referring to footballer Lionel Messi. The name comes from a shortened version of Meskerem, used within her family and later adopted more widely.
Football, however, is part of her early identity. She began playing at around five years old, encouraged by her father. She initially played as a striker before being moved into midfield.
‘At first I thought it was a demotion,’ she says. ‘But later I realised midfield suited me better. It is about reading the game.’
That idea of reading situations, adjusting quickly, and finding space where none seems obvious would later become central to her professional life.
A side job that became something more
Messi did not set out to work in hospitality.
Her entry into the industry came while she was still studying, when she took on restaurant work because it was flexible and easy to access.
‘It was never planned,’ she says. ‘You could get hired quickly, and it worked around everything else.’
What started as convenience gradually turned into routine, then responsibility. She moved from casual roles into full-time kitchen and front-of-house work, learning how restaurants operate under pressure and how different types of diners behave.
Over time, what had been a side job began to feel like a path.
Learning the trade abroad
Before returning to Uganda, Messi spent several years working in hospitality in the United States and the United Kingdom. She worked across different restaurant styles, including Italian, Jamaican, French, and Belgian kitchens. The environments were fast-paced, demanding, and often unforgiving.
‘It teaches you discipline very quickly,’ she says, adding: ‘There is no room for guesswork when service starts.’
The experience exposed her to structured systems, diverse menus, and a range of customer expectations, from everyday diners to high-profile guests. More importantly, it gave her a sense of how hospitality functions when it is treated as a serious profession rather than casual service work.
By the time she returned to Kampala in 2015, she had spent close to a decade in the industry.
Returning to a changing city
Back in Kampala, she noticed both opportunity and limitation. She points out that certain dining habits were still developing, especially around casual all-day eating and breakfast culture.
‘There were very few places focused on breakfast,’ she says.
That gap led to Holy Crepe, an all-day breakfast concept she co-founded, designed to extend breakfast beyond traditional hours and into a full dining experience. But she also observed that the industry was still defining itself.
‘There was a lot of positioning,’ she says, ‘but the systems were still catching up.’
Her view is personal, shaped by her experience abroad, and others in the industry may describe that period differently. Still, for her, it highlighted space for experimentation.
The first Chef’s Table
The idea that would later grow into Chef’s Table Africa did not begin as a business plan.
It started with a birthday dinner: one long table, close friends, a guest chef, and live music.
The atmosphere, she recalls, felt different from a typical restaurant night.
‘I thought, this could be something more,’ she says.
The first public edition followed in November 2022 at Kardamom’s garden, styled as a communal dining experience with a rotating menu and collaborative cooking. It was experimental. The format, pricing, and audience were still being tested. Chef Sholto, one of the chefs involved early on, remembers the uncertainty but also the appeal.
‘I just said I want to do the next one,’ he says.
Collaboration
From there, Chef’s Table evolved into a rotating collaboration between chefs, bartenders, and organisers.
There is no fixed selection formula, according to the team. Participants are brought in based on experience, creative direction, and willingness to work in an experimental environment.
Messi describes it as flexible rather than structured.
‘Chefs are creatives too. They need room to try things,’ she says.
But she also acknowledges the pressure it creates.
‘On paper a menu can look perfect,’ Chef Sholto says, ‘but service changes everything. It pushes you.’
The work behind the experience
Back at Kardamom, another round of drinks is tested.
‘This is for fish,’ someone explains.
Messi takes a sip.
‘Too much lime,’ she says.
A quick debate follows.
‘Cut it in half.’
‘Keep the profile, just soften it.’
Nothing is final until it is adjusted.
It is a small moment, but it reflects how the entire experience is built: iterative, collaborative, and constantly refined.
Redefining what dining feels like
Messi is careful about how she uses the term fine dining. For her, it should not be defined by exclusivity or formality.
‘It should be about attention to detail, not intimidation,’ she says.
At Kardamom, there is no dress code or minimum spend. Guests often sit at communal tables, sometimes arriving alone and leaving having met new people.
‘That’s part of it,’ she says. ‘It should feel open.’
Others involved in the project describe it as an attempt to make dining more shared than segmented.
A career still unfolding
Chef’s Table Africa has since grown beyond its original format, with conversations about expansion into other cities in the region, including Nairobi, Kigali, and Dar es Salaam.
There is no fixed timeline, and Messi is cautious about presenting it as a finished model.
Across Kampala, more chef-led dining concepts and pop-up experiences are emerging, suggesting a broader shift in how people are engaging with food.
Whether this becomes a lasting change or a passing trend is still unfolding.