Cooking was basically a passion for Chishuru’s Adejoke Bakare, but perhaps never a viable career option. It was a love affair that dates back to her growing years in northern Nigeria to Yoruba and Igbo parents, where Adejoke’s feet got firmly planted at the intersection of Nigeria’s major tribal expressions in her approach to cooking. This dynamism has provided the foundation for Chishuru’s ride to recognition since opening in the middle of pandemic, fostering an unbelievable degree of creativity that makes it almost difficult to believe that the business is only a few years old. Adejoke, also in February 2024, became the UK’s first-ever black female chef to win a Michelin Star and just the second Black woman to win a Michelin-star after Chef Mariya Russell. In this interview with AllNaijaDiaspora, Adejoke discusses her journey to spearheading what is now being talked about in London as the ‘west African movement’. An excerpt:
Hello Adejoke, congratulations on being the first Black woman in the United Kingdom to become a Michelin-starred chef. How does that make you feel?
Thrilled! The hospitality industry gives out lots of awards to itself, but the one that chefs care about more than any other is Michelin.
How did you first fall in love with the art of cooking? What inspired you initially?
I grew up in northern Nigeria to Yoruba and Igbo parents, and it was important to them that we children were tethered to those cultures. So we’d go visit my mum’s and dad’s families regularly; Christmas was always in the east and then on long holidays we always went to the west. More generally, I learned from my grandmother. And as the oldest sibling, I was often tasked with cooking for the family.
How did you build on that inspiration to the point of making a switch from a career in property management to becoming a restauranteur and master at modern West African cuisine?
My very first experience of selling food was from a van! I used to sell pies outside my church in south east London on Sunday mornings. I stayed up all night preparing hundreds of portions – not just pies but akara, puffpuff and more. After a few years of that, my interest in food intensified and I ran a couple of supper clubs. It was shortly after that that I saw the competition to win a popup restaurant in Brixton Village. The popup was only supposed to run for three months but famous restaurant critic Jay Rayner of the Observer came in and gave us a rave review, and the popup became permanent.
Africa in general and Nigeria in particular is rich in many cultural artefact, one of which is food. How has Chishuru brought African culinary styles and history to the world’s attention?
I describe myself as ‘a Londoner by way of Nigeria’ – I am not setting out to faithfully recreate the food of my upbringing. Rather, I want to give the west African food that I know a ‘London twist’ through ingredients or presentation or both. We are fortunate that with the recent Michelin stars for Chishuru and Akoko, London media is now talking about the ‘west African movement’.
Reading through an article about you, the author mentioned that aside the quality of modern West African cuisine you serve, the experience of hospitality you offer is another standout feature of your restaurant. Will you attribute this (hospitality) also to Nigerianness?
I have always been determined that my restaurant should be homely in feel, not a serious temple of gastronomy, and as a Nigerian I’m almost competitive about being hospitable!
Chishuru has the stature and reputation of a business that’s been around for some time, but all the exploits you’ve done happened in about half-a-decade. What’s the driver behind this record-breaking adventure?
Good fortune! It was sheer luck that Jay Rayner of the Observer lives in southwest London so it wasn’t too far of a trip for him to try us. And Londoners are always looking for the next new thing in food, and I guess it’s lucky that Ikoyi and Akoko emerged at the same time as we did so it looks like a trend! Chishuru, Ikoyi and Akoko are very different restaurants in many ways but we (the various owners) have a common understanding of our Nigerian heritage. One other driver, strangely, was Covid: Chishuru’s Brixton site opened at a time when people couldn’t travel far and therefore became more interested in trying neighbourhood restaurants.
What best captures the modus operandi of Chishuru: shedding light on African cuisine or enhancing the culinary offerings of the United Kingdom in general?
We’re not on a mission to educate! We’re here to celebrate the food of my heritage that I know and love, and to provide as enjoyable a dining experience as possible. We have lots of visitors with Nigerian heritage who understand the context to our food, and we have plenty of visitors with no knowledge of the cuisines at all.
You’ve been in the United Kingdom for about 20 years, but it wasn’t until about 5 years ago that this history making journey of becoming a high-end restauranteur began. From your experience, what’s your advice to migrants on the role of resilience in breaking through in their destination-country?
I can’t think of anything more important than resilience! You need resilience to start your own business, and you need resilience as a migrant – so being a migrant business owner is especially demanding. Also fearlessness – I should have made the leap much earlier than I did!
Looking through your menu, we couldn’t help but observe the Ekuru with pumpkin seed pestou and Scotch bonnet hot sauce. What do you do to bring these African cuisines from their traditional state to the next/modern level?
The differences between home cooking and restaurant cooking are mainly presentation and technique. We aim to present dishes with a bit more refinement than you’d have at home, and with more involved technique that you would ever do at home. It’s not practical for a home cook to ferment 2kg of tomatoes just to use 10g in a sauce – but it is for us.
If you were to give an advice to your younger self, what would that be?
It’s the same advice as I give to young black female chefs today: believe in yourself, and cook from your heart. And be patient with yourself: it’s a journey, there will be trips and falls, but keep persisting.
What’s next for Chishuru?
On the night I won the Michelin star, I turned to my business partner Matt and said “now on to two stars” and he went very pale, then he laughed his head off. I said “Matt I can’t help it, I’m Nigerian!” I wasn’t entirely serious.
