These 3 Acclaimed Chefs Are Transforming African Cuisine — Introducing a Whole New Audience to Its Rich and Varied Flavors

From the fragrant coffee of the Ethiopian highlands to the zesty coconut curries of the Swahili Coast, African cuisines are vast and varied — and the world is starting to take notice.

We chatted with three award-winning chefs about the ingredients, traditions, and locations that inspire their culinary creations.

Dieuveil Malonga: Meza Malonga

Before launching his Afro-fusion restaurant, Meza Malonga, in Kigali, Rwanda, Congolese chef Dieuveil Malonga explored 48 African countries to gather ingredients and recipes. Much of his journey involved visiting villages; he believes that the essence of African cuisine resides with its grandmothers. (Notably, Malonga’s grandmother owned a small restaurant in Linzolo, near Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo.)

Although Malonga received his culinary training in Germany, he aimed to reconnect with his heritage. The tasting menu at Meza Malonga is crafted around the produce from the restaurant’s three-acre farm, featuring items like yam and fonio bread, beef paired with eggplant tartare, and a palm oil and sweet potato purée.

Malonga also runs an online platform, Chefs in Africa, that connects over 4,000 aspiring chefs and culinary professionals with job opportunities in hotels, restaurants, and among producers and suppliers. Next summer, he plans to open a food innovation lab, training school, and farm in Musanze, situated at the base of Rwanda’s Virunga Massif. 

Ultimately, Malonga aims to bring African cuisine to the global forefront. “Food knows no borders,” Malonga asserts. “Food is about education, and food is about sharing.” 

Fatmata Binta: Dine on a Mat

Chef Fatmata Binta was raised in Sierra Leone, where she absorbed the culinary traditions of the Fulani, a nomadic tribe. Following the violence of the civil war in the 1990s, her family moved from Freetown to a small village in Guinea. “Everything was made from scratch,” Binta recalls. “We farmed and composted. It truly makes you appreciate food so much.” 

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Now residing in Accra, Ghana, Binta operates a nomadic restaurant called Dine on a Mat. This establishment celebrates the Fulani tradition of communal dining, where guests enjoy meals outdoors in temporary restaurants set on rooftops, beneath shady trees, or on lush lawns, accompanied by storytelling and music. A five-course meal featuring traditional ingredients like Moringa, hibiscus, millet, dried shrimp, and dawa dawa (locust beans) is served in hollowed cala bowls. Binta has also hosted pop-up versions of Dine on a Mat across the U.S. and Europe, and her innovative approach earned her the 2022 Basque Culinary World Prize, making her the first African chef to receive this honor. “It’s a labor of love,” she shares.

Jan Hendrik: Klein Jan

“Sunday lunch was a cherished occasion,” reflects Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, known simply as Jan Hendrik, who was raised on a farm in South Africa's Mpumalanga province. “Our meals were always crafted from simple ingredients, yet prepared with great care.”

He carried these lessons with him to Nice, France, where he launched his first restaurant, Jan, in 2013. Within just three years, he became the first South African chef to earn a Michelin star. Nostalgia infused his dishes, including his signature dessert: a meringue shell filled with sago (palm starch) pudding and accompanied by an orange-flower custard.

In his latest endeavor, Hendrik returned to his roots. Inspired by the often-overlooked plains of the Kalahari Desert, he opened Klein Jan at Tswalu Kalahari, South Africa’s largest private wildlife reserve, in 2021. The menu showcases the region’s arid climate with native ingredients like tsama melons, balsam pear, and preserved pumpkins, while employing techniques like curing to enhance the food's longevity. “My heritage means everything to me,” Hendrik states. “It will always weave through my journey like a golden thread.”

Bring a Taste of Africa Into Your Kitchen

Interested in making African dishes at home? Check out chef, writer, and food stylist Yewande Komolafe’s latest book, My Everyday Lagos: Nigerian Cooking at Home and in the Diaspora. Komolafe guides readers through a culinary journey in Nigeria's capital, featuring everyday meals like yam fritters and festive dishes such as braised goat leg in a rich red-pepper sauce called obe.

This article first appeared in the December 2023/January 2024 edition of Dinogo under the title 'Yes Chef!'