She made history last month, becoming the first black woman in the UK to earn a Michelin star, but the owner of the West African-inspired Chishuru – currently the city’s hottest table – n was never meant to be restorative.
Nigerian chef Adejoké Bakare, 51, founder of the Westminster-based restaurant which is praised by food critics, received the prestigious accolade for dishes such as roasted spent goat breast and ginger fried rice.
The menu is a small bite compared to some high-end London restaurants, with a four-course lunch priced at £40, while a five-course dinner costs £75 per person.
Although “stunned” by the recognition from the culinary body, the self-taught chef and his restaurant director, Matt Paice, objected to the fine-dining label, saying they instead wanted to appear “simple.”
Speaking to Michelin UK, she said: “At the heart of what we do, we are quite simple. If you see our decoration, you will see that we are warm and we just want to welcome you.
Her journey to excellence has been both remarkable and unique, and dates back to her days as a university student in Nigeria, where she adventurously juggled a fish and chip cart while studying .
Adejoké Bakare (pictured), 51, made history after becoming the first black woman in the UK to receive a prestigious Michelin star – but a restaurant had never been part of her plan (Pictured: Adejoké parties on Instagram)
Adejoké is the founder and chef of the upscale Chishuru restaurant in Westminster and offers a modern take on West African cuisine (pictured: charcoal-grilled guinea fowl breast, caramelized onion and lemon sauce, peanut spices yaji)
The delicious menu can be enjoyed as two set menus only, priced at £40 or £75 per person (pictured: Newlyn cod fillet, fermented tomato sauce, scotch bonnet, okra)
Born in Port Harcourt, in the southern region of Rivers State in Nigeria, but raised in the northern region of Kaduna, she studied biology before moving to Britain in the 1990s to pursue a career in healthcare and property management.
However, her passion for food refused to budge and the industrious chef began organizing supper clubs in London, hoping to bring West African cuisine to the capital.
Word of her enchanting take on local dishes spread quickly and in 2019 she won the Brixton Kitchen competition, a competition set up to hunt for the best local culinary innovation and talent.
The following year, she opened a three-month pop in south London called Chishuru, which means “to eat in silence” in Hausa, a dialect spoken in northern Nigeria.
The head chef runs Chishuru with his manager Matt Paice (pictured left)
Adejoké continues to impress customers with exciting dishes like fermented rice cake and shiitake mushrooms, charcoal-grilled guinea fowl breast, and whole fried quails with uda and uziza – the latter spices from West Africa (not shown).
The pop-up was hugely successful and quickly transformed into a permanent location, keeping the Chisuru name.
Although the Brixton branch closed in 2022, Adejoké went on to run various pop-ups across the capital before finally settling last year in upmarket Fitzrovia – where she has remained.
There, she dazzled customers with dishes such as fermented rice cakes and shiitake mushrooms, charcoal-grilled guinea fowl breasts, and whole quail fried with uda and uziza, the latter spices. from West Africa.
For those expecting Nigerian food, all dishes are served with rice and plantain.
The chef has opposed a fine dining label and instead wants his restaurant to be ‘simple’ (Pictured: The interior of Chishuru in Fitzrovia)
Although Adejoké’s cooking is largely self-taught, she admits that she may have learned a thing or two from her parents, particularly her father who she calls a “great cook.”
Speaking to BBC Good Food in 2022, the chef recalled the inspiration behind her cultured dishes: “In Nigeria and West Africa, we use many of the same ingredients and spices, like selim grains (similar black pepper) or calabash nutmeg. In southern Nigeria, the food is bolder, spicier and uses more chili peppers.
“But in the East, people use more local ground peppers, like uziza. The food at home was a hodgepodge of these different areas and cultures and similarly, in Chishuru, I cook my version of traditional Nigerian cuisine.
Adejoke’s fearless dedication to his roots is perhaps best seen in a note written on the restaurant’s website, chishuru.com: “If you have no tolerance for spices, we recommend choosing another restaurant, sorry.”
