Linda Kubala, a passionate teacher from Chakachadza Village in Chiradzulu District, has blended her love for education with her passion in food.
Holding a bachelor’s degree in Education with a specialisation in Languages from the University of Malawi, Linda currently teaches at Malindi Secondary School.
Despite her teaching career, her heart lies with Lee’s Kitchen, a thriving food business she runs in Zomba.
She said: “Lee’s Kitchen is growing every day. It has become a popular spot for lunch, dinner and catering services for various events.
Situated off the Zomba-Limbe M3 Road at 3 Miles, the restaurant serves both meals and a variety of baked goodies.
Linda’s journey into the culinary world started out of necessity in 2018.
Faced with salary delays in her civil service job, she needed an additional source of income.
“I had to find ways to survive. I started selling samoosas to UNIMA students, which helped me sustain myself for a few months,” she said.
Over time, her passion for cooking evolved and she expanded her offerings to include cakes, sausages, and cookies,” she said.
A major breakthrough came in 2020 when Linda received her first large order to cater for the World Bible Society at the Trout Farm in Zomba.
“It was challenging due to a lack of utensils, but with support from friends, I managed to pull it off but I believed in my dream of owning a restaurant.”
That dream came true in February 2020 when Linda opened Lee’s Kitchen.
“My passion for baking has kept growing and I have continued learning new skills from both local and international bakers. This is not just about making a living. It’s about creating jobs, offering a service to the community and expressing my creativity.”
Despite the successes, Linda’s journey has not been without obstacles. Rising costs, changing customer preferences and intense competition are some of the challenges she faces.
She said: “Commodity prices change everyday, and it affects our sales. Adjusting our prices to match supplier costs is tough.
“Some customers don’t understand why prices change and issues to do with inventory, waste, and the difficulty of building customer loyalty in a saturated market.”
Lee’s Kitchen into a business that caters for corporate and international events across the country. She also aims to train aspiring chefs and provide employment opportunities to the youth.
Her advice to fellow women and new entrepreneurs is simple but powerful.
“Keep pushing forward, even if your venture is small. Stay active, learn new skills, and don’t fear failure. Be brave, take risks and build your network,” she explained.
While attesting to the quality of food and atmosphere of the restaurant, Cecilia Kenani, one of the customers said the place is good.
“Each time I pass by to have a meal, I always have a pleasant experience. The ambience is usually great and good food,” she said.
Kelvin Malongo another regular customer said he is always looking forward to dinning at the place.
“A dish from Lee’s kitchen is something I always look forward to have. The place is nice and I get services I can rarely find anywhere, he said.
