Serving beyond the plate

Life is no fairytale for some.

Others have to fight their way up, encountering numerous challenges along the way. But as they say, where there is a will, there is a way.

And where creativity meets ambition, simple ideas can transform into much more than just imagination.

This is the story of Roselyn Chigoga, whose humble beginnings is a testimony that sacrifice and hard work can take one to greater heights regardless of adversities.

Roselyn’s story starts from 2020.

Struggling amidst hopelessness, she borrowed K100 000 from her sister to start a food business. Her food business was, at this point, operating by the roadside of Bishop Mackenzie.

She had been calling passersby to her business.

But today, that same business has grown and created opportunities for many others, a dream she had all along. The business is also a trusted brand going by the name Rose Eatery Catering, serving all kinds of customers.

But Roselyn’s story is not simply about food.

It is a story about a struggling woman who saw an opportunity, started gradually chasing a dream and transformed a small idea into something much more, creating opportunities for others.

“My journey into catering was not necessarily because I had always planned to become a caterer. It grew from my love for food, hospitality, service and bringing people together,” she says.

“I used to host a lot of friends and family back in college dorms, and I always realised that food has a way of creating experiences and memories, and I wanted to build a business around that. I had a much bigger vision for what it could eventually become.”

Her first step was not waiting for the perfect time. It was simply starting with limited resources. She started out by hiring equipment instead of buying everything she needed.

Roselyn accepted opportunities that allowed her to demonstrate what she could do, even when some assignments stretched beyond her initial capacity.

She says: “I did not have everything figured out at the beginning and I think that is an important part of entrepreneurship that people don’t always talk about. My first step was simply starting. I began with what I had, learned as I went along, hired out a lot of equipment at first and took on opportunities that allowed me to prove what we could do even far beyond my scope.

“A lot of the early journey was learning through experience, lots of mistakes and ultimately understanding customers, pricing, procurement, staffing, logistics and the realities of running a food business. Every event taught me something new, and those lessons gradually helped shape Rose Eatery into the company it is today.”

That willingness to learn as she went along became an important part of her entrepreneurial journey. Today, Rose Eatery is a full-service catering company offering services for corporate and conference events, weddings, private functions, celebrations, outdoor events and intimate dinners.

“Our vision has also grown with the business. Today, I see Rose Eatery as more than just a catering company. I want us to continue building into a broader hospitality brand while remaining rooted in the quality and service that brought us this far,” she says.

The company offers Malawian and African cuisine alongside continental options, while also providing hospitality uniform solutions for chefs, waiters, bartenders and domestic staff. It also offers weekly packed meals that clients preorder and have delivered to their destinations before lunch.

Yet, for Roselyn, the business has never been simply about putting food on people’s plates. From the beginning, she wanted Rose Eatery to be associated with quality, generosity, professionalism and excellence.

She wanted clients to understand that when they engage the company, they are entrusting it with an important part of their event and that philosophy has shaped the way she approaches catering.

For her, presentation, service, timing, team coordination and the overall guest experience are just as important as the food.

“Whether it is an intimate gathering, a wedding, corporate function, private dinner or large-scale event, the goal is to make clients feel that Rose Eatery has taken ownership of the experience.

“The growth of the business has also demanded that Roselyn evolves from being the person at the centre of everything to becoming a leader capable of building a team and systems that can operate beyond her,” she says.

In the early days, much of the business depended on her. But she eventually realised that sustainable growth required delegation, trust and strong systems.

“I have learned that you cannot build a sustainable business by doing everything yourself,” she says.

She believes managers should have the freedom to make decisions and delegate based on their judgment without constantly seeking permission from the owner.

For Roselyn, this is how a company grows without becoming dependent on its founder being available 24 hours a day.

Her biggest achievement, therefore, is not only the major events Rose Eatery has catered for or the high-profile clients it has served; it is watching the business become bigger than herself.

“When you start, everything depends on you. As the business grows and you begin to build systems, teams and a reputation that can stand on their own, that is when you realise how far you have come,” she says.

Building a business in Malawi has not been without its difficulties. Roselyn says fluctuating food prices, fuel costs, equipment expenses and other operational costs can have a direct impact on a catering business.

She added that logistics can also become challenging, particularly when catering for large numbers of people or events outside Lilongwe.

Catering has also taught her the importance of remaining calm when things go wrong.

“When you are responsible for an event with hundreds of people, you cannot afford to panic when something has gone wrong,” she says.

She believes the leader’s response during a crisis also influences the entire team.

For Roselyn, entrepreneurship has been a journey of discovering what it means to be a woman with ambition and she admits that balancing business and personal responsibilities remains a work in progress.

“There are moments when the demands of the business have meant missing important family occasions, but I have learnt that balance does not always mean having everything perfectly organised,” she says.

Some seasons require more of her business, while others require her to deliberately step back and prioritise other parts of her life.

But one thing she refuses to do is apologise for her ambition.

“Being a woman in business has taught me to be confident in my abilities and not apologise for being ambitious,” she says.

She has also learnt that strength does not mean doing everything alone as building a reliable team and learning to delegate are essential.

Most importantly, entrepreneurship has reinforced her belief that women can build significant things when they allow themselves to dream beyond what society expects of them.

As Rose Eatery has grown, so has its ability to create opportunities for others.

The business now operates as a team-driven company, combining permanent employees with a wider pool of people brought in, depending on the scale and requirements of different events.

For Roselyn, this is one of the most fulfilling aspects of entrepreneurship. Every time the business grows, she says, it creates an opportunity for someone else to work, learn a skill, earn an income or gain experience.

For her, success is, therefore, not measured only by financial returns.

“My success isn’t only about how much money the business makes. It is also about how many lives we can positively impact through the opportunities the business creates,” she says.

Her team, she adds, is a huge part of her success.

Roselyn’s desire to make a difference also extends beyond the workplace.

She has become vocal on TikTok about charity and supporting people in need, a passion she traces back to childhood.

“As a young girl, I would give my clothes, school lunch and books to kids I would see on the streets and receive a good spanking at home for it. I believe that when you have the ability to help someone, even in a small way, you should,” says Roselyn.

She believes people can give what they have, where they are and in whatever way they can.

Her public platform has also allowed her to connect with people who need food, school support, and assistance with a business idea or simply someone willing to give them a chance.

But she is quick to point out that not all the help she provides is visible online.

“Sometimes the most meaningful help doesn’t need to be public,” she says.

Giving back has taught her that success is relative and that even someone facing their own challenges can still make another person’s life a little better.

Roselyn completed her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in International Relations at United States International University in 2018.

“Throughout my time at university, I was recognised several times for my academic performance and was placed on the Dean’s list on multiple occasions. I later pursed an MBA with Unicaf University which I commenced in 2023 and graduated in December 2025,” she says.

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