Before Africa, Steffi led a successful life in Germany. She owned four cooking schools across Hamburg, Potsdam, Bremen, and Hamm, had a comfortable home, cars, and a thriving career. Yet, despite her achievements, she felt drawn to something different, something that would push her beyond familiar comforts.
Speaking in a recent exclusive interview with IGIHE, Steffi revealed that her passion for dance had long been part of her life. She discovered it at 16, and it quickly became more than a hobby.
'In the morning, I stand up and dance,' she says.
Dance became a form of expression, connection, and personal freedom. Today in Kigali, she continues to dance several times a week and even hosts classes and events.
The decision to move to Africa came with uncertainty. Steffi and her children travelled across the continent, eventually arriving in Mwanza, Tanzania. It was here, in search of a dance community, that she made a pivotal decision: to cross the border into Kigali.
Their arrival coincided with the global COVID-19 lockdowns, leaving the family confined to a small house with no bed, sleeping on yoga mats. Travel was impossible, money scarce, and options limited.
Steffi responded by turning her skills into opportunity. She began cooking extra meals for her family and selling the surplus. What started as feeding ten instead of three quickly drew attention.
Using a WhatsApp catalogue to showcase dishes she missed from home, she found her first customers. Their encouragement led her to take a bolder step: opening a physical shop. Partnering with a local, Balinda, she launched her first outlet in Rugando. But just as momentum built, thieves broke in, taking everything she had worked to create.
Arriving in Rwanda with limited English and no knowledge of Kinyarwanda, the loss could have been crushing. Yet Steffi refused to give up. She returned to her WhatsApp catalogue, relying on customer trust to rebuild her business from scratch.
Two years later, she opened a second outlet in Remera, dubbed Steffi Metz Gourmet Shop. She converted a spare room and unused parking space into an outdoor cooking school, offering locals an alternative to everyday meals. The business grew, but challenges persisted. A landlord dispute forced her to relocate after just four months. Eventually, she found a larger, more suitable space in Gacuriro.
Along the way, Steffi trained staff in hotels, often without financial backing. She faced personal betrayals and repeated setbacks, yet she found support in Rwanda's environment, where entrepreneurship and creativity were allowed to flourish.
For Steffi, the appeal of Rwanda goes beyond business opportunity. In Germany, regulations would have prevented her from producing even simple items like cheese in a small setup. In Rwanda, processes are faster and more flexible, even her visa renewal was granted overnight. Most importantly, the country allows her to live authentically.
'As a creative person, it's absolutely necessary to be myself and not worry whether it's allowed,' she says.
From a comfortable life in Germany to starting over amid lockdowns and uncertainty, Steffi Metz's story is one of courage, adaptation, and relentless passion. Through dance, cooking, and entrepreneurship, she has built a life in Kigali that is vibrant, inspiring, and wholly her own.
'Rwanda touched me,' she says, a sentiment that echoes through every step of her extraordinary journey.
Watch the full exclusive interview with IGIHE below.
Rania Umutoni
