Top 15 Gourmet Chef in Nigeria
Nigeria has a vibrant and diverse food culture, with influences from local traditions as well as other parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia. While street food and home cooking remain staples across the country, Nigeria also has a growing gourmet dining scene centered in Lagos but spreading to other major cities. Talented chefs are fusing international techniques and ingredients with local flavors and specialties to create a uniquely Nigerian gourmet experience.InformationGuideNigeria
This article will highlight 15 of the top gourmet chefs helping to shape and elevate Nigeria’s culinary landscape. From Michelin-starred pioneers to innovative young chefs, these individuals are putting Nigerian cuisine on the global stage through their restaurants, food festivals, television programs, and more. Their dishes showcase the diversity of Nigeria’s cultures and local ingredients while also demonstrating high-level cooking techniques and creative flair. Read on for an introduction to these leading lights of Nigerian gastronomy.
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The top 15 gourmet chefs in Nigeria are:
1. Chef Raphael Duntoye
Based in: Lagos
Known for: Pioneering fine dining in Nigeria, blending local and foreign influences
Chef Raphael Duntoye is considered the godfather of gourmet dining in Nigeria. In the early 1990s, he opened the country’s first fine dining restaurant, Commissariat, bringing a new level of sophistication and attention to ingredients and technique. Duntoye’s cooking bridges local Nigerian flavors with French training and wide-ranging inspiration from Asia and elsewhere. Signature dishes at his current restaurant, La Mangerie, include crab coconut bisque, plantain-crusted sea bass, and chicken yassa. Also, Duntoye has appeared on international TV cooking shows and helps train new generations of chefs.Top 15 Gourmet Chef in Nigeria
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2. Chef Lanre Balogun
Based in: Lagos
Known for: Modern African cuisine, farmer collaborations
Chef Lanre Balogun puts a contemporary twist on classic Nigerian and pan-African dishes at his eponymous Lagos restaurant. His tasting menus use seasonal, locally sourced produce and ethically raised proteins. Dishes like charcoal grilled beef suya ribs, catfish bouillon, and plantain foam exemplify his creativity and technical skill. Balogun is dedicated to supporting local farmers and changing perceptions around indigenous African ingredients and techniques. He has collaborated on pop-up dinners abroad, spreading the gospel of new Nigerian cooking.
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Live, Study and Work in Canada. No Payment is Required! Hurry Now click here to Apply >> Immigrate to Canada3. Chef Imoteda
Based in: Lagos
Known for: Eko-chic street food, TV personality
Funke “Imoteda” Adepoju brings a stylish, cosmopolitan aesthetic and playful creativity to modern Nigerian street food at her restaurant Grillery. Dishes like crispy chicken yams, coconut rice “buns” with beef suya, and seafood okro soup offer a trendy twist on local favorites. Imoteda’s popularity soared as a judge on Nigerian Idol and host of the food travel show Just Dine With Me. She has also helped elevate street food through initiatives like the Gidi Culture Festival.
4. Chef Ozoz Sokoh
Based in: Abuja
Known for: Promoting local cuisines and ingredients, food writing
Chef Ozoz Sokoh is a passionate advocate for the diversity of Nigerian and African cuisine. She explores local food cultures through her Nigerian Food Tour pop-ups, Kitchen Butterfly blog, and book A Kitchen in Nigeria. Dishes on her eclectic, vegetable-focused menus include kuka soup, catfish pepper soup, puff puff, and greens stewed in palm oil. Sokoh also promotes underutilized ingredients and works to document Nigerian culinary heritage.15 Best Cinematographers in Nollywood
5. Chef Tolu Eros
Based in: Lagos
Known for: Health-focused African fusion cuisine
Chef Tolu Eros takes a health-conscious approach to modern Nigerian cooking at her restaurant and cold-pressed juice bar TO Foods. Also, her training in nutrition and medicine informs tasty dishes accented with natural ingredients like moringa, spirulina, and baobab. Signatures include goat meat pepper soup, pan-roasted fish and vegetables, and creamy sorghum porridge. Creativity shines through in items like cassava gnocchi in palm fruit sauce. Eros also works to make healthy Nigerian cuisine more accessible through meal plans and online programs.15 Best Sanitary Pads for Heavy Flow in Nigeria
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6. Chef Derin Phillips
Based in: Lagos
Known for: Confectionery, TV personality
Sweet-toothed fans know Chef Derin Phillips from her buzzed-about Lagos bakery and confectionery The Good Treats, along with TV appearances like My Perfect Wedding Nigeria. However, Phillips elevates traditional Nigerian sweets and pastries like chinchin biscuits, carrot cakes flavored with hibiscus, and cream-filled puff puff doughnuts. Her custom cakes incorporate local tropical fruits and florals in stunning designs. She also hosts sold-out baking masterclasses sharing her recipes and decorating skills.105 Good Morning My Love Messages
7. Chef Michael Elegbede
Based in: Abuja
Known for: Championing Northern Nigerian cuisine
Michael Elegbede is a passionate ambassador for the distinctive tastes of Northern Nigeria at his Abuja restaurant Koriko Grill and Kitchen. Dishes highlight regional specialties like kuka beef stew, kwakwa tapioca pudding, and nonsi pot-roasted chicken. Other menu highlights include lamb chops in black pepper sauce, coconut rice, and creative small chops appetizers inspired by local ingredients. However, Elegbede aims to expose more Nigerians and global diners to the underrated diversity of Northern cuisine.
8. Chef Ifeyinwa Mogekwu
Based in: Abuja
Known for: Modernized soup recipes, healthy options
Ifeyinwa Mogekwu puts creative spins on classic Nigerian soups and stews at her Abuja restaurant Ile Eros. Her ogbono soup has slow-cooked oxtail; fresh okra stew features sautéed squash and plantain. Mogekwu’s oha and egusi soups balance hearty and light options. Also, she sources quality ingredients from local farms and makes everything from scratch, avoiding artificial additives. Mogekwu also shares lighter, gluten-free interpretations of Nigerian dishes for health-conscious diners.
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9. Chef Solomon Ogunro
Based in: Lagos
Known for: Farm-to-table dining experiences
At his Lagos restaurant Rooftop Suya Lounge, Chef Solomon Ogunro serves gourmet street food influenced by his grandmother’s Niger Delta cooking. Small plates offer a sophisticated twist on classics like ofe nsala soup, catfish pepper soup, and goat meat suya. Ogunro emphasizes sourcing ethical, sustainable ingredients from local fishermen and farmers. His meticulous farm-to-table experiences under the stars have made Rooftop Suya Lounge wildly popular for date nights and special occasions.200 Romantic Message for Her
10. Chef Yemisi Odusanya
Based in: Lagos
Known for: Promoting cassava, teaching sustainable food production
Yemisi Odusanya is dedicated to the promotion and innovation of cassava, a staple Nigerian crop, at her Lagos restaurant Yemusi. However, her menu ranges from updated classics like cassava fufu with bitter leaf soup to inventive dishes like tapioca and cassava dumpling pudding. Also, Odusanya partners with local farmers to offer cooking classes as well as workshops on improved and sustainable cassava production. She also sells cassava-based convenience products to expand the market for the nutritious, versatile tuber.
11. Chef TuwoEats
Based in: Abuja
Known for: Tuwo culinary experiences, promoting Northern culture
The team behind Abba’s Kitchen, TuwoEats offers immersive dining experiences showcasing Northern Nigeria’s iconic Tuwo dishes. Also, their set menus in Abuja deliver a taste of regional cultures and traditions through cuisine. Staples like miyan kuka, dinya, kubewa, and nutritious tuwo cornmeal highlight flavors from Kaduna, Nassarawa, and beyond. TuwoEats’ pop-ups also feature traditional music and decor, supporting and revitalizing Northern foodways.
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12. Chef Samuel Ogunmola
Based in: Lagos
Known for: Farm-to-table dining, fresh pasta
At his Lagos restaurants SamSam Bistro and Pasta Davio, Chef Samuel Ogunmola makes handmade pasta and wood-fired pizzas with Italian techniques and Nigerian soul. However, the menus source quality proteins and produce from local farmers to craft dishes like kunnu and wheat pasta primavera, Nigerian-spiced meatballs, and amala gnocchi. Ogunmola also elevates traditional recipes through meticulous, from-scratch cooking, while offering cooking classes for home chefs.NYSC Portal
13. Chef Seyi Davies
Based in: Abeokuta
Known for: Culinary arts education, Egusi ambassador
Based in Abeokuta, Chef Seyi Davies spreads his passion for Nigerian food through restaurants, cooking classes, food tours, and more. At his fine dining hub Mydrim Gallery, Davies highlights the versatile West African staple egusi using elevated techniques. He also founded the Culinary Academy in Nigeria (CAN) to provide professional culinary arts education emphasizing indigenous foods. Davies hosts lively egusi pop-ups abroad, produces egusi ingredients commercially, and has been dubbed “The Egusi Master.”
14. Chef Mbanga Mba
Based in: Ikoyi
Known for: Championing women street food vendors
Cameroonian-Nigerian Chef Mbanga Mba uplifts and celebrates women in street food through her Lagos pop-up Café Neo. However, the rotating venues are platforms for female food entrepreneurs making regional specialties like mbekpang, puff puff, chin chin, and more. Mba spotlights generations of food wisdom while providing business incubation. She also hosts masterclasses on traditional cooking techniques and has expanded to bottled food products.JAMB Portal
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15. Chef Zoe’s Kitchen
Based in: Lagos
Known for: Vegan Nigerian cuisine, experimental flavors
At Zoe’s Kitchen, Chef Zoe Adigun delivers gourmet, artful Nigerian vegan food. Using fresh ingredients from local farms, Adigun creates meat-free versions of dishes from egusi stew to pomo salad with kale and apples. Also, her inventive flavor combinations include plantain served with coconut yogurt and hibiscus air, while beverages feature turmeric, moringa, and mushrooms. The cozy Lagos restaurant also provides a progressive, sustainable approach to Nigerian cuisine.
Conclusion
Nigeria is developing a vibrant gourmet food scene thanks to innovative chefs like these elevating local cuisines. From Abuja to Lagos and beyond, these talented individuals blend global techniques with Nigeria’s rich culinary heritage. Also, their passion shines through in their restaurants, food tours, cookbooks, festivals, and TV programs celebrating the best of Nigerian cooking. However, with local ingredients as their muse and Nigeria’s diverse cultures providing endless inspiration, this new generation of chefs is bringing Nigerian flavors into the gourmet limelight.
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