You’ve probably never heard of Shola Olunloyo, but he’s risen to recent prominence thanks to a high profile stint at the acclaimed Stone Barns restaurant outside of New York City. Handed the reins from Chef Dan Barber, Olunloyo set about impressing discriminating diners with his take on West African cuisine. Shola’s passion for food was sparked by his simple love of fried plantains as a young boy. But his interest in watching plantains lined up, ripening and decomposing in the sun, was only the seedling of a future fascination with the biology of ingredients and cooking. Shola’s self-professed combination of “curious intellectual curiosity and the pure pleasure of deliciousness” was further developed in his love for suya, the roadside charcoal-grilled meat skewers covered in yaji seasoning. Sneaking palm wine with street suya at boarding school in Nigeria when he was 14 years old sparked his obsession with cooking with fire. And the dish is still a hallmark of his style today.
SOURCE: TODAY
More Stories
MTN Hacked Just as it Launches Mobile Payments in Nigeria
Tanzania, like Many other African Countries, Wants to Stop Depending on Fertiliser from Russia
Equipping African and Africa-focused Startups with PR Tools
Zimbabwean Fishing Communities Fear for Future as Stocks Dwindle
South Africa Still Far from Fair Digital Migration
Pan African Parliament President Elected
Ethiopian Farmers Face a Double-edged Sword
Germany To Return Goddess Statue that was Stolen from Cameroon 120 Years Ago
Lumumba’s Family Closes a Painful Chapter
40 African Cities Feature on the 2021 Cost of Living City Ranking List
A Mangrove Project is the Star of Kenya’s Gazi Bay
Not Enough Females Operating in the African Venture Capital Space