Self-taught chef behind West African restaurant Chishuru – who became the first black woman to win a Michelin star in the UK – studied biology before a supper club set her on the path to making culinary history

She made history last month, becoming the first black woman in Britain to achieve a Michelin star, but the owner of West African-inspired Chishuru – currently the city’s hottest table – was never meant to be a restaurateur.

Nigerian chef Adejoké Bakare, 51, founder of the Westminster-based restaurant raved about by food critics, received the prestigious accolade for dishes such as roasted culling goat belly and ginger fried rice.

The menu pales in comparison to some of London’s high-end restaurants, with a four-course lunch priced at £40, while a five-course dinner costs £75 per person.

Although “confused” by the culinary body’s recognition, the self-taught chef and her restaurant manager Matt Paice have pushed back against the fine dining restaurant, saying they want to appear “homey” instead.

Talking to Michelin UK, she said: ‘At the heart of what we do, we are quite domestic. If you see our decor, you will see that we are homely and just want to welcome you in.

Her journey to excellence has been both remarkable and unique, dating back to her time as a university student in Nigeria where she adventurously juggled a fish and chip cart alongside her studies.

Adejoké is the founder and head chef of the upmarket Chishuru eatery in Westminster, offering a modern take on West African cuisine (pictured: charcoal-grilled guinea fowl breast, caramelised onion and lemon sauce, yaji peanut spice)

The delicious menu can only be enjoyed in the form of two fixed menus at a price of either £40 or £75 each.

Born in Port Harcourt in the southern Rivers State region of Nigeria but raised in the northern Kaduna region, she studied biology before moving to the UK in the 90s to pursue a career path that included both healthcare and property management.

But her passion for food refused to budge, and the industrious chef began hosting supper clubs in London, hoping to raise awareness of West African cuisine in the capital.

Word of her enchanting twist on native dishes spread quickly and in 2019 she won the Brixton Kitchen competition, a competition set up to hunt down the best in local culinary innovation and talent.

The following year, she opened a three-month pop in south London titled Chishuru, which means ‘eat quietly’ in Hausa, a dialect spoken in northern Nigeria.

The chef runs Chishuru alongside its manager Matt Paice (pictured left)

Adejoké continues to impress customers with exciting dishes such as fermented rice cake and shiitake mushrooms, charcoal-grilled guinea fowl breast and whole deep-fried quail with uda and uziza – the latter West African spices (not pictured)

The pop-up was a huge success and quickly turned into a permanent fixture, retaining the Chisuru name.

Although the Brixton branch closed in 2022, Adejoké continued to front various pop-ups in the capital before finally settling in chic Fitzrovia last year – where she has remained.

There she has dazzled customers with dishes such as fermented rice cake and shiitake mushrooms, charcoal-grilled guinea fowl breast and whole deep-fried quail with uda and uziza – the latter West African spices.

For those expecting Nigerian staples, all entrees are served with rice and plantain.

The chef has pushed back against a fine dining brand and instead wants her restaurant to be ‘homely’ (pictured: interior of Chishuru in Fitzrovia)

Although Adejoké’s cooking is largely self-taught, she admits she may have picked up a thing or two from her parents, especially her father, whom she praised as a ‘good cook’.

Talking to BBC good food in 2022, the chef recalled the inspiration behind her cultured dishes: ‘In Nigeria and West Africa we use many of the same ingredients and spices, like selim corn (similar to black pepper) or calabash nutmeg. In southern Nigeria, the food is bolder, spicier and uses more chillies.

‘But in the east, people use more native ground pepper, such as uziza. Food at home was a mix of these different zones and cultures, and in the same way, at Chishuru, I make my take on traditional Nigerian food’.

Adejoke’s fearless embrace of his roots is perhaps fittingly seen in a note written on the restaurant’s website chishuru.com: ‘If you have no tolerance for spices at all, we recommend you choose another restaurant, sorry’.