Charles Ajunwa
London-based Nigerian chef, Adejoke Bakare, has partnered Lagos Continental Hotel to promote Nigerian cuisines internationally.
Bakare, a Michelin-starred chef, is bringing her acclaimed London restaurant, Chishuru, to Lagos from 4-7 November 2026 for four exclusive dinners at Lagos Continental Hotel in Victoria Island.
The residency brings Bakare’s cooking back to the country where her story began, at a moment when Lagos will be welcoming artists, galleries, collectors and cultural leaders for ART X Lagos week.
Rather than recreate the Fitzrovia restaurant in Nigeria, Bakare and Chishuru’s senior team will develop a menu specifically for Lagos, responding to the ingredients, energy and food culture of the city.
Addressing journalists in Lagos, Bakare said she wants to transfer her culinary skills to younger chefs in Nigeria, to help boost their confidence to work and compete globally.
Bakare, who dressed in white apron with her team, prepared a six-course menu namely: Ose-ji, Roast Yam and Oil, Moin Moin Elemii Meje, Masa, Fish Head Soup and Obe Dudu, which draw on the Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa influences that shaped her childhood, alongside the technique and perspective she has developed during more than 25 years in London.
She said, “I love Lagos and I love West African art. To cook here during one of the most creative weeks in the city’s calendar is incredibly special. Chishuru was shaped by the food cultures I grew up with and by the chef I became in London. This residency brings those parts of my story together.
Speaking on collaboration, the General Manager of Lagos Continental Hotel, Christoph Schleissing, said, “We are filled with pride to welcome Michelin-starred celebrity chef Joké Bakare and the Chishuru team to Lagos Continental for this extraordinary culinary residency. Chef Joké holds a remarkable place in culinary history as the first Black female chef in the UK to be awarded a Michelin star, and is currently the only Black female chef in the world still running her Michelin-starred restaurant.”