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  • Exclusive Chat with Chef Millie Peartree at the GTCO Food and Drink Festival

    Exclusive Chat with Chef Millie Peartree at the GTCO Food and Drink Festival

    Chef Millie Peartree, known as the “Queen of Repurpose”, is a Bronx-based, world-renowned chef, taste-maker, and restaurateur who has spent the last decade perfecting her craft. It wasn’t until she entered her first baking contest that she realized her baking (and now culinary) talent would evolve into a successful and innovative culinary enterprise. Millie has a knack for creating unconventional tasting menus and experiential activations using well-known products not often considered cooking ingredients. With the ability to cook for many consumers, her talents lend themselves well to on-site activation demos, tastings, sampling, and branding opportunities. She has worked with some of the nation and world’s most widely recognized brands and celebrities, including MLB, Rolex, PepsiCo, Jay-Z & Beyonce, MTV, Delta Airlines, NY Mets, Alicia Keys, Dole, Band-aid and many more.

    She was one of the facilitators of the Masterclass at the 2023 GTCO Food and Drink Fair in Lagos, Nigeria. Our team had a chat with her, please find below excerpt-

    NW: How did you start this business?

    CMP: I started my culinary career. It was shortly after my mom passed away. And it was more transitional to continue to create memories that my mom made with me and that I did with my little brothers and sisters. So from there, it just skyrocketed. And I feel like it’s a blessing to be able to do what you love. So I’m really excited that I can continue my journey through cooking.

    NW: What made you actually choose soul food as your area of expertise and not any other type of cuisine?

    CMP: Well, I chose the area of soul food because- number one, it is part of my culture, my heritage, and what I grew up eating. But most importantly, I wanted to continue to create those happy memories through food and pretty much in remembrance of my mom. So it just only felt natural. So I cook and serve the food that I know. And with that, I bring her in spirit every time I make one of her dishes.

    NW: What was your most Creative challenge thus far?

    CMP: The creative towels are one of my most creative challenges, or one of my hardest obstacles, per se, or I created an event for a rapper named Young Jeezy. And we were at the venue, and the stove didn’t work. So instantly, I had to use someone’s stove in an apartment. Luckily, it was in a building where people live. And you know, you have to work on instinct sometimes, when you’re hired to do a service, you know, you have to show up and get the job done. Like nobody really cares what doesn’t go on. They just know that they want their job done. That was one of those situations where I had to be the most instinctive and it worked out for the best.

    Listening to the audience with rapt attention

    NW: As a first-time visitor to Nigeria, what inspired you to try Nigerian okra in your recipe, as you showed us during the Masterclass?

    CMP: Well, I grew up eating okra. So the first time I actually had fried okra was at a gas station in Beaufort, South Carolina, I was going to visit my aunt. And in the States, we have gas station favourites and street food. And in New York, our gas station favourites, I like hot dogs. And that was the first time I actually had it. But my mom made it all the time, she made a southern version of okra and tomatoes, which is more sautéed with just peppers and onions, and we ate it over rice. So it was only natural for me to take another recipe and recreate it into something that I wanted to again and remember it’s of the recipe so my mom made in my household growing up. I have not had the Nigerian okra Soup. However, I’m going to try it before I leave.

    NW: What Nigerian delicacy have you tasted since you arrived that you have never tasted before?

    CMP: Well, one of the things I had here so far that I’ve never had before I’ve had the snails, which was a delicacy like we call it and it was very good. And it had a good ocean taste to it. So you knew it was fresh like wherever the purveyor wasn’t they got these snails from it tastes like the seas I knew it was fresh. It was absolutely delicious. This is my first time in Nigeria on the continent is Africa as a whole my first time here.

  • Paramount Africa partners Zero Malaria Starts with Me Movement to Boost Malaria Awareness

    Paramount Africa partners Zero Malaria Starts with Me Movement to Boost Malaria Awareness

     

    In support of the Draw The Line Against Malaria campaign, Paramount Africa through its youth channel brands, MTV Base and BET Africa have partnered with the Zero Malaria Starts With Me movement. This partnership strives to boost malaria awareness, promote education, and engage youth in the fight to end Malaria.

     
    The global Zero Malaria Starts With Me movement has united people all over the world at a time when malaria kills a child every minute. With this in mind, Paramount Africa has committed to being the mouthpiece for such urgent social issues ills through their youth channel and the Africa Day Celebration concert at the Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on 28 May, where guests will marvel at some of Africa’s most admired talent.
     
    With the launch of the second chapter of the multi-award-winning Draw the Line Against Malaria campaign, a stellar cast of international changemakers have joined forces to turn up the pressure in the fight against malaria today, from Malaria No More UK Leadership Council founding member David Beckham and FC Barcelona striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, to marathon world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge, double gold Olympian Faith Kipchoge, Pan African TV presenter Bonang Matheba, and Afropop singer Yemi Alade.   
     
    The fast-paced new Draw The Line film, created by Black Dog Films and directed by Meji Alabi, builds on the ground-breaking momentum of the first phase of the campaign, delivering an urgent message highlighting the malaria crisis while encouraging leaders that with the right arsenal of tools, strong funding commitments, and renewed political will, this is a fight we can win.
     
    The importance of building an atmosphere that promotes the potential of the continent’s youth is something that Paramount understands and recognizes. The short film will be aired on Paramount’s Youth Channel, MTV Base, as well as at the Africa Day Celebration Concert on 28 May. This is to increase and accelerate mobilization in support of malaria eradication in Africa. As a media partner for the global Draw The Line Against Malaria campaign, Paramount has pledged to giving the campaign a voice on its platforms, which is aimed at African youth.

    “We are pleased to continue this impactful partnership through the Draw The Line Against Malaria campaign and MTV Base Africa Day Concert. As the official broadcast partner, Paramount Africa is proud to amplify, drive social change and inspire young people and world leaders across Africa, and globally, to prioritize efforts towards the fight against malaria,” says Senior Vice President and General Manager of Paramount Africa, Monde Twala.


    Bonang Matheba, Zero Malaria Ambassador says, “Supporting this campaign is about creating an African future free of malaria. I’m passionate about raising up and enabling the leaders of tomorrow, especially young people across Africa whose futures have been held back by malaria. We know this is a winnable fight – my home country, South Africa is edging ever closer to eliminating this preventable disease. Let’s take our voices to the Kigali summit on malaria and NTDs in June and the Global Fund replenishment in September and show leaders we must draw the line against malaria.”  

    The Draw The Line Against Malaria campaign was created by dentsu International, with art direction by artist Láolú Senbanjo and films directed and produced by Black Dog Films (part of the Ridley Scott Creative Group)  on behalf of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria in collaboration with global malaria partners and a coalition of agencies and non-profit organisations, including the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), the African Union Commission, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Speak Up Africa, Impact Santé Afrique, Malaria No More UK, and Goodbye Malaria. 

    Catch the special broadcast of the Africa Day Celebrations on MTV Base, DStv Channel 322 on Saturday, 11 June at 15:00WAT/16:00CAT and on BET, DStv Channel 129 on Sunday 19 June at 19:00 WAT/20:00 CAT.

  • ViacomCBS Networks Africa partners with the Zero Malaria in their fight against malaria

    ViacomCBS Networks Africa partners with the Zero Malaria in their fight against malaria

    ViacomCBS Networks Africa (VCNA) has joined forces with the Zero Malaria Starts With Me (ZMSWM) movement to inspire and engage young people in the fight against malaria – the generation that can end this preventable disease. VCNA’s commitment to malaria and its powerful platforms will provide a unique opportunity to draw attention to the oldest and deadliest disease on the continent.

    This partnership comes together at the crucial time in the fight against malaria. Despite the progress made since 2000, malaria continues to claim lives and COVID-19 has made the fight even harder. While 90% of life-saving malaria prevention campaigns were delivered as planned in 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning that disruption to malaria diagnosis and treatment could still lead to thousands of additional deaths across the African continent where 74% of the population is below the age of 35.

    Therefore, it is crucial to build partnerships which can reach young people and ensure their engagement so that malaria doesn’t steal their futures.

    VCNA is committed to driving social change and through its network championing and pioneering powerful and engaging edutainment across channel platforms for children and youth from MTV, MTV Base and Nickelodeon. Given the enormous economic and social burden of malaria on young people, VCNA’s ambition is to ensure that its platforms and creative content is a driving force behind further eradication of this disease.

    On the 24 February 2021, VCNA will support the Draw the Line Against Malaria campaign – a new youth-focused creative campaign powered by African stars. The campaign aims to inspire young people to support the ZMSWM movement and call on their leaders at zeromalaria.org to commit to more action, more innovation, more funding and more political leadership to achieve zero malaria within a generation.

    “By joining forces, ViacomCBS Networks Africa and Zero Malaria Starts With Me will bolster efforts to inspire and galvanise young people across Africa, and globally, in the fight against malaria – a preventable and treatable disease. This collaboration will provide an opportunity to showcase the talent and positive energy emerging from the African continent and further engage youth audiences to take action for positive social impact. This is the generation that will end malaria,” says Monde Twala, Senior Vice President and General Manager at ViacomCBS Networks Africa.

    “Through multiplatform edutainment content, integration of youth culture, trending music and youthful storytelling, we can play an important role to effect positive change and to achieve meaningful impact in malaria affected communities. ViacomCBS Networks Africa embodies and aligns to this vision of a Reimagined Africa,” continues Twala.

    Lilies Njanga, Africa Director for Malaria No More UK, said “This partnership will create a powerful opportunity to reach young people in Africa and beyond with a rallying cry for them to step up action in the fight against malaria. We believe that art and music are universal languages that have the power to unite and inspire young people – ViacomCBS embodies and aligns to these values and reaches a global audience. Together we hope to inspire youth to become trailblazers and end malaria in their generation.”

    This partnership follows VCNA’s dedication to social impact causes. In 2020 the network partnered with the World Food Program and UNICEF for the Africa Day Benefit Concert to raise funds for immediate food provision and health care in support of coronavirus-affected communities across Africa together with YouTube. The social impact series MTV Shuga in partnership with the MTV Staying Alive Foundation has led a formidable charge in effectively disseminating information and positively changing behaviour and attitudes through increased HIV testing.