In a small but bustling kitchen in Bunga during the uncertain days of the Covid-19 pandemic, a dream was simmering.
Clad in an apron, sometimes grooving to Afro beats as he stirred the pots’ contents, a former corporate executive was reinventing not just his life but the idea of street food in Uganda. That man is Idro Ashad Taban aka Chef Idro affectionately known as the Afro Dancing Chef and his venture, Idro’s Street Foods which is tantalizing taste buds across Kampala.
The tagline “Afro Dancing Chef” was born during the pandemic, a time when Idro sought a unique way to stand out in a crowded culinary market.
“I wanted a name that could be disruptive,” he says, drawing from his African roots and his lifelong love for dance and entertainment.
Though not a professional dancer, Idro’s rhythm is undeniable. Growing up, he was part of dance groups in school and even now, he occasionally sways to music while flipping chapatis or grilling meats in his kitchen; his movements a reflection of the joy he finds in his craft.
“Afro Dancing Chef is inspired by my previous lifestyle. I asked myself how I could fuse my passion for food with other things I like, and that is how I came up with that tagline.”
The result is a brand that is as dynamic as Idros himself, inviting customers to not just eat but experience the culture and energy of Africa.
ORIGIN OF LOVE FOR FOOD
Idros’s love for street food was nurtured in the lively, densely populated suburb of Kawempe. As a child, evenings were spent wandering the streets savouring delicacies such as deep-fried engege (tilapia), a street food he still counts as his favourite.
“Street food was part of my childhood,” he recalls. “It was about community, affordability and flavour.”
These early memories would later shape his vision for Idro’s Street Foods, but his journey to culinary stardom took him far beyond Uganda’s borders. Idros’s life has been a tapestry of global experiences. He lived in Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, studied marketing in Cape Town, South Africa and travelled to Tucson, Arizona and Portland in the USA.
In America, he was captivated by the diversity of street food culture where food trucks and stalls served everything from tacos to soul food, reflecting the nation’s multicultural fabric.
“America has a diverse culinary culture because of its diverse backgrounds,” Idros says. “As a passionate foodie, I admired that.”
These travels planted the seeds for his dream, to bring a similar vibrancy to Uganda’s street food scene, elevating it from roadside stalls to a formalized, experiential brand. His culinary passion was sparked by his mother, another foodie who pored over cookbooks and experimented with recipes.
“She would get me involved in her cooking by making me peel tomatoes or slice onions,” Idros remembers.
Those moments in the kitchen fostered a love for food that went beyond sustenance; it was about connection and happiness.
“Food is the one thing that makes people happy. I love making people happy; so, that inspired my love for food,” he says.
GLOBAL EXPOSURE
Life would take Idros across borders, giving him a unique lens through which he viewed culture and cuisine. He has lived in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Africa, where he took a short course in culinary management, gaining hands-on experience that complemented his natural talent.
This formal training, combined with stints in high-end restaurants, equipped him with professional kitchen skills and sharpened his creative instincts. But perhaps the most significant turning point came in the United States. During his time there, Idros was deeply inspired by the American street food culture.
“America’s culinary diversity is unmatched because of the mix of cultures. Their street food scene, catering to the middle-class and everyday people, fascinated me,” he says.
STARTING IDRO’S STREET FOODS
In 2020, amidst the global upheaval by the pandemic, Idro made a life-altering decision. He stepped away from his corporate career as the managing director of KK Travellers, a prominent Ugandan transport company, and launched Idro’s Street Foods.
As he tells it, the decision to leave behind a steady job for the chaotic world of entrepreneurship was not just about chasing a dream but about answering a deeper calling. Starting Idro’s Street Foods from a modest kitchen in Bunga, Kampala, Idro focused on deliveries during the lockdown.
By December 2020, he had officially launched his business and soon after he opened a restaurant at Motiv in Bugolobi.
The name “Idro’s Street Foods” raised eyebrows and some urged him to drop “street foods” for a more conventional restaurant label but Idro was resolute.
“I wanted to create my own identity,” he says. “People asked me why I didn’t just open a restaurant and drop the ‘street food’ label. But for me, the concept was important. I wanted to associate with the omuntu wa wansi (common man) because street food is for the everyday person,” he says.
Inspired by the middle-class appeal of American street food, he aimed to innovate Uganda’s food space, challenging the informal often unregulated street food scene with a formalized, quality-driven approach.
THE BUS RESTAURANT
Perhaps the most visually striking aspect of Idro’s brand is the bus restaurant. Housed in a refurbished bus parked at Motiv, it is unlike anything else on Kampala’s culinary scene.
Patrons don’t just dine, they embark on a sensory journey. The waiters are dubbed “conductors” and the interior mimics the feel of a moving bus, complete with seats and decor that evoke nostalgic memories of Ugandan road trips.
The kitchen is inside the bus, adding to the immersive experience. Drawing on his years in the transport sector where buses were a symbol of connection for ordinary Ugandans, Idro envisioned a dining experience that merged his love for food, travel and his entrepreneurial spirit.
The idea was simple yet audacious; transform an old bus into a restaurant that would become the face of Idro’s Street Foods.
“Buses were a big part of my life. I was a bus guy serving the common people traversing this country and so when I decided to venture into food, I asked myself. How do I merge my love for transport with my passion for food? The bus restaurant was the answer,” Idro explains.
“The result is a restaurant that feels like a journey. Diners sit in bus-like setting, served by “conductors” who deliver meals prepared on-site. It’s purely about experiences.”
The concept took a month to finalize and after sourcing an old bus from his former employers KK Travellers, Idro transformed it into a culinary space. It is now the flagship model for future expansions. Beyond the restaurant, Idros’s team provides catering services with customized menus and sets up stalls at events, bringing their street food experience to festivals and gatherings.
A MULTIFACETED ENTREPRENEUR
Beyond food, Idro is deeply involved in marketing and sustainability. A trained marketer with over five years of academic and professional experience, he continues to offer experiential marketing consultations, balancing his culinary ventures with his corporate expertise.
He also runs Taban Investment Group, the holding company for Idro’s Street Foods, which specializes in experiential marketing. Under Taban Investment Group, he also spearheads Zero Waste Africa, a sustainability initiative focused on promoting climate communication and environmental advocacy.
CHALLENGES
While the journey has been rewarding, it has not been without challenges; Idro faces challenges common to Ugandan entrepreneurs: limited access to finance, a small market, stiff competition and scarcity of qualified personnel.
“Entrepreneurship in Uganda is self-financed. You need courage, vision, passion and resilience to keep going,” he says.
But despite these obstacles, Idro remains undeterred. He admits that leaving the corporate world was the highest risk he ever took, but it has been worth it and he has inspired others to take similar paths, a legacy he is proud of.
Collaborations with figures like Dr. Jose Chameleon and A Pass and partnerships in the entertainment and events industry have elevated his profile, but Idro measures his success by the lives he has touched.
“There are many people who have looked at the dancing chef and started their own ventures which is good, because leaving a good legacy is about inspiring others to greatness.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Idros’s ambitions extend far beyond Kampala. His ultimate goal is to build Idro’s Street Foods into a franchise, an Afro-centric brand that promotes African dishes to the world. Drawing inspiration from Chipotle, a brand that built a global identity around local food concepts, he envisions a chain of bus restaurants in Hoima, Gulu, Mbarara and other cities within the next five years.
“I want to build an food franchise that focuses on customized meals for African palates and promotes African street food to the world. It’s about formalizing street food and making it a celebrated part of our culture,” he says.
The Afro Street Food Festival set for October 2025, is a key part of this vision. The event will celebrate street foods from across Africa; Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa and more, inviting foodies to experience the continent’s culinary diversity.
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