Meet Adejoké Bakare, UK's First Black Female Michelin Star Chef

Chef Adejoké Bakare has been all the rage recently for her West-African-themed restaurant, Chishuru, which recently won her a Michelin Star. The Nigerian-born chef made history on April 8 as the UK's first black woman to win the coveted distinction for excellent cooking. Chishuru, once a pop-up shop in Brixton Village, won the award only six months after it was established as a restaurant in Fitzrovia, London. It is one of only two Michelin-starred restaurants in the locality specialising in West African cuisine. 

According to a report in Business Day, Michelin’s Chief Inspector in the UK described Chef Bakare’s cuisine as “unique and…a wonderful reflection of her personality and her cooking. It is fun, full of life, generous and hugely enjoyable." Chishuru has been widely acclaimed for its high-end interpretation of simple, West African cuisine.

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Chef Adejoké Bakare: Introducing West African Cuisine To The UK

Chef Adejoké Bakare, born to a Yoruba mother and an Igbo father, grew up in Kaduna, northern Nigeria. Her multicultural experiences sparked her love for cooking. As the oldest child, Bakare had the responsibility of cooking for her siblings, which she thoroughly enjoyed because of her love for cooking. 

Her culinary journey strengthened by watching her maternal grandmother whip up traditional East Nigerian street food. Bakare started collecting cookbooks and tried her hand at different regional recipes at the age of 11. However, cooking was simply a hobby for her as she pursued microbiology at a university in the UK. 

Bakare worked in the health sector and then at a property company in London for a few years. A friend persuaded her to turn her love for cooking into a career. In 2016, Bakare started a supper club. She won the Brixton Kitchen competition in 2019, which propelled her to open a small pop-up eatery in Brixton Village.

Meanwhile, she worked at another prominent restaurant Iyoki to gain culinary experience. In late 2020, Chishuru became a full-fledged restaurant, drawing the attention of the world to the diverse West African food. Soon, Chishuru was recognised in the top 100 restaurants in the UK at the National Restaurant Awards. 

In 2023, Bakare relocated the restaurant to a bigger location in Fitzrovia. Not even a year later, Chishuru won its first Michelin Star. Receiving her award, Bakare said, "In many ways being an independent restaurateur and chef is incredibly liberating. As a black female chef, I’m not sure I could have done it any other way."