‘Adejoké (Joké) Bakare, the founder of Chishuru restaurant in London, has been hailed as a trailblazer in the culinary world.

She has won plaudits for combining West African cuisine from across the region with finesse and creativity, inspiring a new generation of chefs and reshaping diners’ experience of African food in the UK.

Renowned food critics such as Jimi Famurewa of the Evening Standard and Harriet Fitch Little, food and drink editor of FT Weekend have lavished praise on Bakare’s talent and the innovative range of dishes that Chishuru.

Last month the spotlight was further thrown on the Nigerian-born Bakare’s talent when Chishuru was one of 18 restaurants awarded a Michelin star, making her the first Black female Michelin-starred chef in the UK, and only the second in the world.

Bakare says she is amazed by the outpouring of positive responses  her success generated.

Her Michelin star sparked joyous celebrations among the Nigerian diaspora, many of whom flocked to social media to declare “Naija no dey carry last”.

Some highlighted the fact that her milestone achievement wasn’t just about the restaurant and food industry becoming a more diverse and inclusive space.

Bakare’s journey from self-taught cook to Michelin-starred chef illustrates how far perseverance and resilience in the face of formidable odds can take you . Her long-helpd dream of opening a modern West African restaurant is now a reality.

But despite being grateful for all the accolades and recognition she says she is determined to stay humble because of what she says is the weight of responsibility.

“The way they ran the award-giving meant we thought we’d missed out completely” she reveals. “My blood ran cold when the host got to the end of the list of new one-stars. And then he said ‘but we have one more star to give to a chef, and she…’ and I didn’t really hear any more of the words after that because I knew it was me.

“There were 17 new one-star male chefs on the stage, and I came up to join them. Michel Roux gave me a big hug to calm my nerves and I had my arms in my custom-made Michelin chef jacket.”

I have been blown away by the reaction to my Michelin star. I’ve lost count of Instagram story reactions and people talking about making history. It’s incredibly touching.

Adejoké Bakare

Bakare continues: “I have been blown away by the reaction to my Michelin star. My business partner Matt walked into the kitchen this week and asked ‘Joké what’s this phrase everyone is using… Naija no dey carry last?’ and Moruf (our kitchen porter) and I collapsed into laughter. I’ve lost count of Instagram story reactions and even some people talking about making history. It’s incredibly touching, but also that’s what I mean by the ‘weight of responsibility’. It’s a kind of attention I’ve never had before in my life.

“We had a wonderful comment on our Insta today: ‘Being amazing privately is great, but being brave enough to impact others is destiny. Keep walking in purpose, and leave the door open for all the Black women running behind.’

Bakare’s journey to culinary stardom is inspiring. Raised in Kaduna, Nigeria, with diverse food influences from her Yoruba mother and Igbo father, she developed a passion for cooking alongside her grandmother. Despite studying biological science, her culinary love endured. Transitioning from care and property management, she overcame challenges to pursue her culinary dreams.

Bakare’s journey to culinary stardom is remarkable. Growing up in Kaduna, northern Nigeria with a Yoruba mother and an Igbo father meant she experienced a wide range of food influences and she developed a passion for cooking alongside her grandmother.

Despite studying biological science, her love of cooking endured and she always harboured a goal to one day open her own restaurant.

After relocating to the UK for university, cooking remained a hobby while she pursued other career paths.

Confidence

In 2017, persuaded by friends, she organized her first supper club. Two years later she won a Brixton Village cooking competition. The prize offered her an opportunity to operate a three-month pop-up restaurant.  

Winning the competition boosted her confidence as a chef and made her realise that she had the ability to pursue her culinary dreams.

Despite lacking professional kitchen experience, she became a restaurant owner.

In September 2020, Chishuru launched as a pop-up, featuring modern West African cuisine after Bakare’s Brixton Village competition win. Despite her novice restaurant experience, the response was overwhelming, drawing customers from across London. Bakare deliberately labeled her menu West African, not just Nigerian, highlighting the region’s culinary similarities and the cuisines of her upbringing.

Her skills at blending these influences with modern techniques meant that the venture thrived, attracting Britons new to this food as people of West African heritage.

Chishuru’s popularity meant it quickly outgrew its Brixton Village location, prompting Bakare’s decision to close it and look for new premises. After searching for new premises across the capital Bakare and business Matt Paice settled in Fitzrovia, central London, as Chishuru’s permanent home in August last year.

“Having my own restaurant was a life-long dream” she says. “I wanted to cook the food of my heritage, the food I grew up with. As the oldest of my siblings, I was often tasked with cooking at home. Food is spiritual for me.”

Among the popular dishes are sinasir, fermented rice cake with shiitake mushrooms and crushed walnuts, moi moi made from bean cake, bone marrow, omelette, red pepper and scallop roe and yassa, a dish of  charcoal-grilled guineafowl breast, caramelised onion and lemon sauce.

“At  Chishuru I aim to give a London restaurant twist to my dishes. So if you have moi moi at my restaurant, you will absolutely recognise the tastes and the ingredients, but perhaps not the presentation.

Vision

A lot of the time, it’s about applying restaurant techniques to homely dishes. We add a few more steps to a few more ingredients to make the dish feel more London. We don’t have a rulebook, we’re not presenting classic restaurant dishes that have been produced for centuries. Our excellent suppliers will always enthuse about the best seasonal produce they’re getting in, and I try to use that as our starting point.”

Despite the apparent lack of diversity in restaurant ownership in London, Bakare refuses to allow barriers to hinder her vision of what she hopes to achieve.

“Matt and I offered on four sites before we got the one we’re in now. We were flatly turned down by one Fitzrovia landlord – he just wasn’t interested in having a West African restaurant in his property, and this was only six months after us winning Time Out’s restaurant of the year.

She continues: “I wouldn’t say it was prejudice necessarily, just narrow-mindedness. Similarly, although we’re flying high now, Matt and I were very struck when we opened in Fitzrovia that other new restaurants serving more familiar food had every restaurant critic flocking to them, whereas we really had to hustle for our coverage. Critics definitely need to cast their nets more widely.”

Bakare dismisses claims that African food lacks crossover appeal. She believes such assertions overlook the rich diversity of African culinary traditions.

The Michelin star chef says she hopes that the growing interest in African cuisine will help dispel the often repeated claim that the continent’s cuisine lacks crossover appeal. She sees, Chishuru as helping to lead a change in perception.

“In fairness, west African food has more of a struggle because to date the region hasn’t been big for UK holidaymakers” she says.  “Think of all the gap year kids coming back from Thailand desperate to experience authentic Thai cuisine in London. One of my dear friends (and regulars) went to a hotel resort in Ghana for Christmas and raved about it. We need more of that.”