Shujaa, the Kenyan USA Sevens Rugby team, did not win the tournament, but Kenya did not leave empty-handed. Through the Kenyan duo of Jennifer Gachui and Catherine Chege, co-owners of Watu and Company, Kenyan food vendors, easily won over fans from all over the world as people lined up to buy the food.
For ten years now, Gachui, a corporate meeting planner, and Chege, a campus director at a local college in Las Vegas, have made sure the beast in every Kenyan rugby fan is fed with delicious authentic Kenyan food through Watu Café.
“We have been catering and hosting diaspora events on and off for 10 years now. When Rugby moved to Las Vegas in 2010, we decided to find a way to get involved and decided to do it through food.” they said in an email.
They have specialized in a small menu of masala fries, Kenyan chai, Kenyan coffee (kahawa) and delicious chunky sambusas (samosa), which come in beef and veggie options.
“Our menu is intentionally very specific and limited because we focus on large scale festivals” Gachui said.
Customer service is important
Gachui and Chege met in Las Vegas through a mutual friend and together they founded Watu and Company. Under Watu and Co., the duo operates up to six booths providing an array of services such as insurance, money remittance, authentic Kenyan carvings and curios at Kenya Korner in Sam Boyd Stadium at UNLV.
The size of their operation makes them, perhaps, the largest single vendor at USA Sevens Rugby, an international event attended by thousands annually.
It is not difficult to see why they are successful. The duo draped in Kenyan flag head-scarves are friendly and easy to talk to. They provide great customer service to everyone who comes to their counters and their employees are also very friendly.
“We instill that (great customer service) always. It’s in our DNA at WATU & Co. Have fun, smile and shake off the bad stuff. Customer service above all else,” Gachui said. “It helps that everyone is passionate about doing the best in their specific area, whether they are back in the kitchen area, or at the cash register.
Food safety and success
Looking at the open-air kitchen area of the operation, you notice employees preparing various foods wearing gloves and ensuring sanitary conditions. Everyone is on a mission and the owners also participate in the process.
Despite the heavy traffic to their booth, there were no angry customers or long waits. Gachui attributes their efficiency and success to their team’s resilience and ability to work under grueling conditions such as cooking outdoors and sometimes in unfavorable weather.
“They are an amazing group of friends, who have worked with us and supported us from the very beginning and they are still there today.” Gachui said. “But we take care of our team and we try and make the work fun. We have been very fortunate and are extremely grateful for each of them.”
While making money from the business venture is great, the duo is driven by a larger purpose—passion for cooking.
“We like to cook, and we saw this as an opportunity to tell the story of the Kenyan food,” Gachui said. “We wanted to give people an alternative to hamburgers.”
Gachui and Chege can be reached through their website www.watuandco.com.
Below are some photos of Watu Cafe at USA Sevens Rugby in Las Vegas.