African food hall to make debut in London

TGP International has announced its ambitious global expansion plans for new food hall concept, Alkebulan.

Alkebulan, the original name for Africa, is the “first-of-its-kind” food hall and features 10 chef-led concepts from across the African continent, allowing diners to savour gourmet dishes and street bites.

Curated by chef restaurateur, Alexander Smalls, and officially launched in collaboration with TGP International at EXPO 2020 Dubai earlier this year, Alkebulan is a celebration of African cuisine, art and music with an initial focus on culinary hotspots, London and New York.

According to the firm, post-pandemic, the food hall model remains an “attractive” option as more restaurant brands tap into the vast potential to offer a new dynamic culinary experience, penned as the “ultimate champion of choice”.

The company said part of the food hall’s larger mission is to provide new platforms for African chefs, who are “wildly underrepresented” in the industry, and “create opportunities to help them thrive”.

Smalls said: “Despite its rich culinary heritage, African cuisine has been overlooked and underestimated for many years. With Alkebulan, we look forward to bringing its diverse and spectacular culinary palates to the forefront by introducing a unique dining concept to two of the world’s most thriving food destinations.

“We aim to not only deliver a taste of Africa but offer a one stop destination that becomes a boiling pot of the various African cultures at the core of its 54 counties and offer opportunities to young culinary entrepreneurs from underprivileged backgrounds.”

He added: “We want to provide them space in the food halls to start their own businesses as part of an incubator program, providing support through coaching and mentoring as well as financially.”