In a professional kitchen tucked inside the Cité Fertile, a vibrant cultural hub on the outskirts of Paris, Marie-Clarisse Bonzia carefully arranges trays of colourful canapés destined for a prestigious corporate event later that evening.
Among them are cassava and okra mini-quiches served with mango curry sauce, alongside mafé-marinated chicken skewers, or sweet potato bites with cream cheese and Likouala pepper.
“My cuisine is a bridge between Congo, my home country, and France”, smiles Marie-Clarisse. “I learned French culinary techniques to showcase ingredients from back home.”
That bridge is more than culinary.
The soft-spoken-chef had never imagined that her cooking skills would change her destiny. She spent much of her career working in administration before her life took an unexpected turn.
During the civil conflict in her country, one of her daughters was born with a rare disease requiring specialised medical care. The family fled to France, so the child could receive treatment.
Balancing a demanding office job with repeated hospital stays soon became impossible.
“Whenever my daughter was in hospital, I dropped everything and went,” recalls Marie-Clarisse. “That created many difficulties at work.”
Seeking more autonomy, she enrolled in culinary training, earning a professional qualification.
Marie-Clarisse, who now runs her own catering company, Maison Kolia, is one of dozens of women entrepreneurs supported by Meet My Mama, a Paris-based foodtech company that combines high-end catering with social impact.
Turning invisible talent into value
Through training, mentorship and business opportunities, the company helps women of diverse backgrounds, and with immigrant roots, transform culinary talent into thriving businesses.
Meet My Mama was founded in 2017 by Loubna Ksibi, Donia Souad Amamra and Youssef Oudahman, who had just started their careers after respectively graduating in business and technology, political sciences, and commerce.
“The idea stemmed from our own stories,” explains Oudahman. “We grew up around women with incredible skills who often remained invisible economically, despite their talent and knowledge. In leadership roles in gastronomy, 90 percent of chefs are still men. We didn’t just want to make room for these women. We want them to access the best positions.”
The startup’s name is a nod to that of the ‘Mères Lyonnaises’ (Mothers of Lyon), cooks of humble origins who, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, left domestic service to establish their own restaurants in Lyon, considered as France’s capital of gastronomy.
Several of them became legendary, such as Eugénie Brazier who became the first female chef to earn three Michelin stars on 1933, imposing her own recipes in a male-dominated world. “The Mères Lyonnaises trained the likes of Paul Bocuse. We brought the concept up to date”, says Loubna Kisbi.
A cocktail of tradition and fusion
An update with a taste of world cuisine, mirroring contemporary society. Over the years, Meet My Mama has welcomed women from every corner of the globe.
“We’ve met exceptional women from Peru, Japan, Iceland, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Italy, Congo and many other countries,” Ksibi says. “Each one brings a different story, culture and expertise. These are culinary journeys around the world. That’s what makes Meet My Mama so rich.”
Among those writing this new chapter is Milena Pecho, founder of the catering company Wankas.
Born in France to Peruvian parents, the chef spent several years working in financial auditing before realising corporate life was no longer what she wanted.
“I wanted to build something of my own and watch it grow,” she says.
She travelled to Peru to study at a gastronomic school before returning to France, where she joined a culinary incubator and eventually Meet My Mama.
Her cuisine celebrates Peru’s remarkable culinary heritage, combining Indigenous traditions with Japanese, European and African influences. One of her signature dishes is a refined Nikkei ceviche, while another features black quinoa topped with a traditional huancaína cream and cancha, the toasted Peruvian corn that evokes childhood memories.
When she joined Meet My Mama, she already had clients. But she says the network helped her professionalise every aspect of her business.
“They helped me gain efficiency and productivity, but also improve hygiene and quality standards. Now we’re really operating at the highest level.”
Meet My Mama provides much more than visibility. Through its Mama Academy, participants receive training in culinary techniques, entrepreneurship, business management and leadership.
“We give the Mamas the power to have power. And then they’ll pass some of that on to their children, to those around them”, points out co-founder Donia Souad Amamra. “The indirect impact is huge.”
Through a partnership with Ecole Ducasse, the culinary school founded by renowned French chef Alain Ducasse, entrepreneurs also have the opportunity to refine their skills.
Aminata Kane, who has her own catering business, “Au Kassimani”, is among the trainees.
“I came here to find the technical skills I need to complete what I started with Met My Mama.” she says. “My goal is to showcase African cuisine by making it gastronomic.”
Meet My Mama has already enabled around 80 women to launch their own catering businesses, while hundreds more have received training or found employment in the food sector.
“We work for major companies,” says Marie-Clarisse Bonzia. “We probably wouldn’t have been able to open those doors on our own, but Meet My Mama opens them for us.”
Yet the greatest achievement, she says, is not professional recognition.
“Today I do what I love,” she reflects. “It’s an accomplishment, it’s something I’m proud of, but above all it’s freedom.”
Meet My Mama has established itself as a serious player in France’s competitive catering industry. The company now organises more than 600 events annually and has attracted a prestigious client portfolio that includes Google, LVMH, Chanel and AXA. Its chefs have catered events at iconic venues including the Palace of Versailles and the Eiffel Tower, as well as international gatherings such as 2020 Expo Dubai and the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
From local kitchens to Presidential tables
For Loubna Ksibi, this commercial success is inseparable from the company’s social mission.
“The more business we do, the more impact we create,” she says. “And the more impact we create, the more business follows.”
The company now has thousands of aspiring chefs on its waiting list and is exploring opportunities for international expansion.
Much like Lyon’s celebrated ‘Mères’, today’s Mamas are proving that cultural heritage can contribute to redefine France’s culinary landscape, with a twist of modernity.
“Bringing the Mamas towards excellence is a win-win for us. It’s what allows us to work in beautiful venues to cater for major companies and events or for personalities like Presidents. We’re now among the leading caterers in Paris.”, says Loubna Ksibi with pride. “I don’t know how much further we’ll go. But we’ve achieved wonderful things together. And we’ll continue to do so.”