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Former Miss Universe Zim finds new niche

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A STRIKINGLY beautiful young woman is absorbed with the huge pots on an open fire as she prepares a variety of dishes.

A STRIKINGLY beautiful young woman is absorbed with the huge pots on an open fire as she prepares a variety of dishes.

BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

Lisa Morgan  getting ready to prepare a meal at Pamahuswa
Lisa Morgan getting ready to prepare a meal at Pamahuswa

She seems to fit perfectly into the ambience of her surroundings, with several other indigenous “entrepreneurs” preparing food — sadza rezviyo or mhunga, rice dovi, zvinyenze, goat meat, mazondo, knuckle bones and road runner chicken — at the popular open-air joint known as Pamahuswa, situated along the Harare-Chitungwiza highway.

The joint is located away from the hullaballoo of the city and draws many people, including company executives, who drive from the city in top-of-the-range vehicles just to sample the delicious meals on offer, selling between $3 and $5.

On closer observation, it dawns on patrons that one of the entrepreneurs exhibiting their culinary skills here is former Miss Universe Zimbabwe, Lisa Morgan, whose reign as the country’s top beauty was in 2011.

Lisa Morgan
Lisa Morgan

Several years down the line, away from the glitz and glamour of the modelling ramps, Morgan is now utilising her other skill — cooking.

The former top model, who started work here recently, is still building a solid client base and will, hopefully, replicate what she has done with her other upmarket restaurant, Queens, in the plush neighbourhood of Milton Park.

When she opened the restaurant last year, Morgan said she had always wanted to have a business in the food and hospitality industry.

“I have always loved cooking and that passion was my main inspiration and I am one person who loves to work for myself,” she said.

Although she is still to attract a significant clientele, Morgan said she was hoping that with time and perhaps some marketing, she would strike gold in her new trade.

“I am still new here, but with time I believe things will change. Maybe with a bit of marketing, the situation will improve,” she said.

For customers who visit the place to sample mouth-watering cuisines, Morgan said she was ready.

Morgan will go down in history as one of the most successful models ever to walk the ramp in the country. During her reign as Miss Universe Zimbabwe in 2011, she was also crowned Miss Expressive and clinched an Ambassador of Beauty award at the Miss International beauty pageant held in Chengdu, China.

The Miss International pageant focused on raising funds to support the victims of the tsunami that struck Japan in that year and Morgan contributed to the fundraising efforts by pooling $5 000 from a portrait picture showing happy children from Zimbabwe.

She also assisted two boys to undergo kidney transplants as part of her role as the Renal Ambassador as part of her campaign to raise awareness of the critical condition of the kidneys.