Gibsan: the sandwich eatery
For years, the genius that is Chef Gibson Magapa has been learning and polishing his artistry skills. Chef Gibson has worked for an array of local restaurants and establishments. In his 13 years in the culinary industry, he has worked for places that include Culinary Baron Café, where he worked as Head Chef and Manager; Infinity Lounge as Head Chef; House of Khumali as Head Chef and Assistant Manager and Streets of Gold, Nicopolis Self Catering Apartments to mention a few. Besides these establishments, he has also conceptualised menus for a number of weddings, events and even organised cooking lessons for clients.
But something that has always intrigued his clients, and the many people who know about his true passion is why he didn’t do his own thing fulltime.
And so last year, he created something that is fast taking over the streets of Gaborone. The new creation is none other than his mouth- watering Cheese and Steak Sandwich. The whole idea behind this creation is that he wanted to tap into his rich knowledge of the culinary world and give the market something that will just blow their minds.
The sandwich resembles a hot dog, but one that in urban culture would be said to have been to an English medium school. He wanted to move away from the tried and tested traditional hot dogs, which to some appears to be just boring. With his offering, he is taking clients on a journey, and wants them to explore the world with him. Magapa studied International Trade and Marketing in Malaysia, and he is very familiar with the street of the country.
Speaking in an interview with this publication, he swears that the sandwich is most famous in Botswana. He uses local beef, locally made bread by Godiraone Kweche. He aptly named the famous sandwiches Gibsan, which is a portmanteau or blending of Gibson and Sandwich. The Gibsan comes in three variations, namely the Steak sandwich, pork and chicken. All the three variations pack up their own flavours. It comes in these flavours: BBQ, Mild, Hot, Extra Hot, and Lemon Herb.
“What my patrons mostly love are the flavours and the presentations, and then the soft bread which is different from the rest,” he explains noting that his customers are always blown away from the first to the last bite.
“They just love the soft bread and the ingredients that go into making this sandwich what it is,” he adds.
He notes that he created his menu during the first lockdown. In total, he has 18 items on the menu. Explaining how he finally took the leap of faith, he shares that he recently had less than P400 in his hands, and he just decided to see what will happen. He posted his dish on Social
Media to get feedback, but he got more than that. People started sending in their orders. And things just exploded from there. On average, on a good day he can make around 30 plus sandwiches.
“I want to change the face of street food. I am bringing something that is dynamic to the market. And I want people to see that there are other offerings when it comes to street food instead of the hot dog that we are used to,” says Chef Gibson.
Besides the sandwich, he also has other items that form part of his daily lunch. And is still getting booked for private functions such as events and weddings. In a few weeks, he will be catering at three weddings.
Quizzed on why it took him this long to finally do what he is doing today, he explains that he was in and out of doing his own thing.
He further says that he also loved the energy in the kitchens, and loved the different set- ups. “I wanted to master working in highly industrialised kitchens,” he said.
He also shares that a lot of people have been wondering why it appeared that he was sitting on his talent. Meanwhile, as a Chef, he can whip up almost any dish from any cuisines, ranging from Italian, Chinese, Indian and even the traditional one. This makes him an all rounder who can cook anything that can tickle the palettes of his clients. It is this skills that will continue to win him the hearts of many clients and many others.