African Food Explosion - Joke Bukare and Akwasi Briya Mensa
September 2022
West African food is having its moment - well that’s the sort of platitude you get in the press, as if people all around the world haven’t been eating African food for a while.. But what is true is that some amazing chefs are getting noticed.
The Observer Food Monthly certainly noticed and sent me to photograph Akwasi Briya Mensa, who’s new restaurant Tatale has recently opened at the Africa Centre in London, and promptly won a bunch of awards. I was working on a Ghanaian flag colour palette, red yellow and green, but ultimately got distracted by the pink bench - who wouldn’t. This was one of Akwasi’s first shoots and he was quite nervous, but one of his friends turned up and showed him some classic bench poses and he was away.
The second star chef was Adejoké ‘Joké’ Bakare, who has opened a small restaurant, Chishuru, in Brixton market after winning the amateur section of a competition the market were running. She unfortunately opened just before the pandemic lockdown, but that setback didn’t stop her - she is a big personality and a force of good nature - and re-emerged in 2022 winning a bunch of award including Time out’s number 1 restaurant in London!
Joké has an incredible energy, as you can see from the photos, she is the happiest chef in South London, quite a feat considering the hospitality industry is in a crisis. Her energy and positivity is infectious and the food that she made was stunningly tasty! What a treat to meet her.
*** Chishuru has now closed in Brixton (due to the small size of the restaurant) and she is moving to a new West End location in 2023!