Entrepreneur Chef Turns Local Crops into Gluten-Free Pasta

Celiac.com 12/21/2022 - In many places in the world, access to gluten-free foods is not a sure thing. The challenges for people with celiac disease who live in Nigeria are similar to those who live in many areas: finding good quality, reliable products. Being able to buy locally sourced products made with local ingredients might also be a nice benefit. An upstart African chef is looking to change that.

Using Cassava Root, Plantain and Fonio Flours to Make Pasta

Finding reliable, good quality gluten-free products in many places, can be challenging, including in Lagos, Nigeria, where Renee Chuks, a trained chef, started experimenting with making pasta from cassava during the coronavirus pandemic. Cassava is a a root vegetable rich in minerals and Vitamin C, and plentiful in Nigeria.

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As part of her journey to create a viable gluten-free pasta product, she said, "We looked inward to like, what kind of products we have that we eat every day. Cassava is one of our major, major products...so we figured let's start with that," Chuks told reporters

She ended up perfecting a hand-made pasta that also uses plantain and fonio, a small grain crop grown in West Africa, which she infuses with local herbs and vegetables, giving some of her pasta a green or pinkish tint.

Launching "Aldente Africa"

Chuks now sells her products via her company, Aldente Africa, which is among the first companies to make gluten-free pasta in Nigeria, she says. 

Her Aldente products feature upscale packaging and retail at US$2-$5 per package, which targets a fairly affluent local consumer for the time being.

As the global market and the local appetites for gluten-free food continue to grow, look for local entrepreneurs like Renee Chuks to bring their passion, creativity and knowledge to new products for local markets.

Read more at Reuters.com