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Dakar NOLA’s award-winning tasting menu and unique style of service, brought to life by chef Serigne Mbaye and his business partner Effie Richardson, have elevated modern Senegalese cuisine among restaurants in New Orleans on Magazine Street.
Earlier this year, the acclaimed restaurant received the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in just its second year of operation, solidifying Dakar Nola as a leader in the fine dining space.
“Two years later, here we are,” says the chef in disbelief. “I’ve got the best new restaurant in the country and I’m cooking food that I grew up eating.”
By way of his restaurant, Chef Mbaye is showcasing the rich flavors and traditions of Senegal using locally sourced ingredients and working to bring greater recognition to an underrepresented cuisine in the culinary world.
Connection to His Cuisine
Born in Harlem and primarily raised in Senegal, Mbaye developed a strong connection to his cuisine early on, along with a deep sense of community and hospitality from watching his mother bring people together over a meal.
“Cooking is something that has always been a part of my life,” says Mbaye. “My mom had a Senegalese restaurant in Harlem before I was born. And at the time I was born, the restaurant was closed, and our house became the restaurant.”
Driven by his deep-rooted passion for food and inspired by his mother, Mbaye began to pursue a career in cooking more seriously, quickly rising through the ranks of various restaurants before deciding to attend culinary school in 2016.
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A Tale of Two Cities
After a homecoming trip back to Senegal and a chance encounter that landed him a job at Commander’s Palace, a renowned restaurant in New Orleans, Mbaye made his way South, where he was introduced to a vibrant, seafood-loving food scene that reminded him of the flavors he grew up eating.
“When I came back, I was like, ‘I need to cook our food,’” Mbaye recalls. “I was used to working at Italian and French restaurants, and it was all about the butter, the cream, etc. But now, here I am in the South, where they’re using okra in their dishes, and they’re using black-eyed peas.”
Inspired by the food he saw and the connections he discovered between Senegal and New Orleans, Mbaye set out to open his own restaurant. He spent some time honing his skills and gaining a broader perspective on the culinary scene by working at Michelin-starred restaurants around the country before finally returning to New Orleans. “By the time I came back to the South, I was ready,” he says.
Senegalese Flavors Debut Among Restaurants in New Orleans on Magazine Street
Dakar Nola opened in 2022 as one of several restaurants in New Orleans on Magazine Street, featuring a dynamic seven-course experience highlighting the rich flavors of Senegal with a communal dining approach and an emphasis on local ingredients. “It’s based on flavors that I grew up eating at my mom’s house and in Senegal and techniques that I learned over the years,” says Mbaye.
With community as a focus, every guest arrives at the same time for their reservation and dines together as a show of equality. “Whether you’re a garbage man, whether you’re a politician, or whether you’re law enforcement, I think that we are all equal here.”
“Doesn’t matter the skin complexion or race, I feel like good food should be accessible to anybody,” he explains. “So, for that specific reason, everybody comes at the same time.”
The dining experience begins with handwashing and leads into a traditional tea course known as Ataya. “Ataya is a traditional tea that’s served back home in West Africa that I grew up drinking a lot,” he explains. Next is an amuse-bouche, salad, and soup course, all based on ingredients available at the local farmer’s markets.
For the entrees, the chef highlights Gulf seafood with shrimp and fish courses paired with locally grown vegetables and rice before finishing with dessert. “I try to use what local fishermen are able to bring in their boats and put them on the plate.”
Through the pescatarian tasting menu, Mbaye explores the profound connection between Dakar and New Orleans—two coastal cities with African and French influence known for their warm, lively hospitality and great seafood.
While the James Beard Best New Restaurant introduces a brilliant taste of Senegal to the table through its refined seven-course menu, Mbaye’s mission goes beyond the plate and restaurants in New Orleans on Magazine Street.
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Supporting Black Restaurants and Cuisines
The Senegalese chef talks about redefining the way Afro-centric cuisines are viewed in the culinary world and the responsibility of Black diners to ensure the value of those cuisines is recognized.
“For a very long time, our cuisine has been looked at as a cuisine that has nothing to offer,” he begins.
“You go to an Italian restaurant, get a little bit of pasta with some cream, butter, and a little bit of truffles, and the bill comes out to $300—you’re not complaining… But I show you some rice and fish and you complaining about ‘why is that rice so expensive?’” he jests.
“Why can’t you respect the technique that I learned from my mom and aunt, which they learned from their mothers and aunts—a passed-down recipe.”
The contributions of Black cuisines have long been undervalued and underappreciated within the Euro-centric standards of the culinary world. Mbaye challenges Black consumers to invest in our restaurants and set the value of our own cuisines because they are worth it.
“We need to respect it. We need to spend that money. We need to support it,” he says emphatically. “We have to ask ourselves the bigger question—if our own people can’t value our cuisine, why should others?”
For more information on Dakar NOLA and its culinary vision among restaurants in New Orleans on Magazine Street and to book a reservation, you can visit their website. You can also follow his culinary journey on Instagram to learn more about Chef Mbaye and keep up with his story.
Be sure to tune into “High on the Hog Season 2,” available to stream on Netflix, where Chef Mbaye appears to discuss the deeper connection between Senegal and New Orleans.
