Lately, foodies are seeking out novel dining experiences and authentic flavours, with a craft and artisanal food wave surging to the forefront of culinary trends. Celebrating meticulous attention to detail and the passion poured into every morsel, in Ghana this movement is being spearheaded by such culinary experts as Chef Salasie Atadika of Midunu, fresher Chef Abiro of the Ghana Food Movement as well as yours truly, through my eponymous PaJohn’s rooftop pop-up dining experiences – which was one of the lot that set the stage for the revolution early on over ten years ago. Here’s a look at how far the trend has changed the dining scene in Ghana’s capital.
Last week, PaJohn’s rooftop terrace, a secluded destination for avant-garde lounging & dining, hosted one of its curated dining experiences dubbed ‘an evening of cerebral company’. Anchored by Chief Moomen & his Mansa World orchestra, the night saw the orchestra give a mesmerising performance in voices and xylophone and kora notes, interspersed with a decadent serving of the venue’s signature momoni laden nkontomire and ntroba abom drenched in koobi-infused coconut oil, with cubed root-tuber Ampesi.
Fuelling bodies with such authentic traditional cuisine, part of steps to serve grub that is sustainable and inherently ours, and whose ingredients make it worthwhile for our local farmers to grow a market that helps build our economy, is the main goal for PaJohn’s escapades into the world of culinary offerings. While it is not a restaurant, the space is in a Ghanaian home where local nosh can be obtained, spread in an exquisite aura and presented in an elegant fashion.
Talking about elegant food presentations, perhaps no one comes close to that served by leading curator of African foodways, Selasie Atadika, who – for over a decade – has worked “where culture, community and cuisine intersect with sustainability, environment and economy.” For Selasie, it’s more than just what’s on the plate; I’t’s about the systems that feed us”.
If you ask her what she does, Selassie would say: “I’m a food systems advocate, a storyteller and a curator of African foodways”. But her work is about something deeper: redefining how we think about food in terms of where it comes from, who grows it and how it shapes our future.
Selassie runs Midunu, the catering firm behind the nomadic dining concept designed to celebrate Africa’s culinary heritage. At her table, food is a movement. One proving that sustainable food systems are already rooted in Africa. A movement shifting behaviours through deliciousness, not deprivation; something that is turning local ingredients into global conversations.
Through Midunu, Selassie’s mission is clear; to create opportunities for smallholder farmers to thrive, not just survive. Her’s is to reshape global food narratives so that African foodways are celebrated, not extracted!
Partnering with brands, chefs and advocates who believe in a just, equitable food system, Midunu hosts the very highly acclaimed ‘Journey through Africa’ private dining experiences that introduces explosively diverse African cuisine to new palates at their space in the leafy suburb of Tesano in Accra on Thursdays. Accessed only through reservations online, visit their website and connect.
With chefs across the globe getting more and more creative, many giving a modern makeover to old nosh, tweaking traditional recipes and reaching into the past to revive ancient dishes, one such rising star chef who is dazzling local taste buds here in Accra is Culinary Ambassador and Head Chef of the Ghana Food Movement’s ‘The Kitchen’, Chef Abiro.
Recently opened and making big waves, The Kitchen, besides creating great dining experiences, offers a breeding ground for the next generations of change-makers in food and agriculture West Africa. It aims to train, equip and support the youth to build a career in food. From gastronomy, product development, hospitality to farming and marketing of local climate resilient crops!
Here, Chef Abiro is definitely putting his native Frafra culture on the map, thanks to his inventive menus.
Tonight, Abiro presents ‘A Culinary Tale of Love’ – a dining event at The Kitchen in Osu. Picture a tobacco smoke confit guinea fowl on a bed of caramelised onions starter, a creamy lamb bittor sauce served with red millet and corn tou zafi in a chili foam or vegetarian creamy mushroom main and a dazzling baobab and dakua mousse or mango caviar dessert, placed in front of you amid the company of some very fine people.
Serving a three-course menu, the experience – divided into three parts – will tell the tale about his ancestral Frafra marriage ceremonies, with the starter representing the ‘knocking’ – which is when the groom’s family goes to ‘ask for the hand of the bride’. The second part will be the marriage ceremony itself; and the third, the after party.
“For the ‘knocking’, I’m going to be highlighting ingredients such as the tobacco, guinea fowl and cola nuts, which feature as part of the presentation offered the bride’s family by the groom,” explains Chef Abiro, who just returned from sourcing the authentic ingredients from his hometown.
“I will leave the confit guinea fowl in the tobacco smoke to be well infused before we serve it with ‘konkoror’, which is a kind of risotto – the way we make it in northern Ghana.”
And it’s not just dishes that are getting a modern makeover. Cocktail menus are taking advantage of local produce. The Kitchen makes a superb tamarind drink, which is also used in transforming mixes into super cool cocktails.
