A serendipitous encounter with some New Orleanians brought Chef Serigne Mbaye to the Crescent City. Serigne was born in the United States, but raised and educated largely in Senegal. A love for cooking led him to New England Culinary Institute where he graduated at the top of his class in 2016. Though he started as a line cook, he rose to the level of sous chef at Commander’s Palace and was the sous chef at Café Adelaide before its closing. He left New Orleans to hone his skills at Atelier Crenn, a 3-Michelin Star restaurant in San Francisco, and at L’Atelier Joel Robuchon, a 2-Michelin Star restaurant in New York. In 2018 he was awarded the Paul McIlhenny Culinary Scholarship at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, where he held regular pop-up dinners exploring the connections between the foods of Louisiana and Senegal. Serigne has evolved his pop up series into Dakar Nola, a modern Senegalese pop up restaurant. With a focus on highlighting the bounty of local ingredients Serigne has had the pleasure of collaborating with farmers and chefs throughout Southeast Louisiana. Serigne Mbaye is the co-owner and Chef of Dakar Nola in New Orleans, Louisiana. Chef Serigne Mbaye was voted 2021 Nola Eater Chef of the Year and was honored as a finalist in the 2022 & 2023 James Beard Foundation Award in the Emerging Chef category. This episode of Culture & Flavor Zella and Chef Serigne Mbaye talk about his journey to opening Dakar Nola and how he remains humble and focused in a chef celebrity culture.
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