What’s On Your Table? A New Generation Redefining African Food Culture
It’s been a week full of rich culinary experiences here at FashionEVO. Fresh off the Flavours of Africa event, a vibrant celebration of pan African food, music, and culture, our palates (and minds) are still buzzing. If you missed it, you can catch our full event recap here.
But the story of African cuisine doesn’t end there…
African food is having a moment. Not just on menus, but across Instagram feeds, curated dinner tables, and within the language of cultural innovation. From Lagos to Johannesburg, Accra to Nairobi, a new generation of chefs, creators, and culinary curators are remixing tradition with storytelling, aesthetics, and intent. Each dish tells a story, offering insight as much as flavor
No longer confined to assumptions about jollof or suya, African food is being reframed through intimate supper clubs, visual media, and slow, intentional dining experiences that prioritize heritage without being weighed down by it.
At the forefront of this shift are pioneers like Chef Feyikewa Animasahaun, founder of Àjọjẹ Lagos. Inspired by the Yoruba word that celebrates the act of sharing meals communally, Àjọjẹ revolves around a single communal table and one curated daily experience. Her seasonal, farm to table menus are crafted like love letters to Nigerian cuisine, inflected with global influence but grounded in familial roots.
Kewa’s Kitchen, Chef Feyikewa’s earlier venture, still serves as a bridge for those craving Nigerian flavors with finesse. What began as a food blog and content hub has grown into a full fledged brand known for its stunning plating, educational content, and unapologetically Nigerian voice. Through videos, recipes, and culinary pop ups, it has helped reset the aesthetic language of Nigerian food online.
Kitchen Butterfly, the digital alias of Ozoz Sokoh, is widely regarded as one of the most compelling food storytellers out of Nigeria. A culinary anthropologist by nature and practice, her work spans research, recipe development, photography, and public installations. Through her richly documented blog and visual content, she explores food as identity, memory, and history, connecting local ingredients to global conversations. Whether she’s recreating old Nigerian cookbooks or curating sensory food exhibitions, her lens is academic, artistic, and deeply personal.
My Friends House, a growing culinary community by Demilade Akinsanya proves that food is as much about who you’re eating with as what you’re eating. Her dinner series in Lagos functions like a traveling restaurant where guests, often strangers, buy tickets for a carefully crafted experience. She brings her digital storytelling skills into the kitchen, creating dishes that blend personal memory, heritage, and the thrill of experimentation. It’s part social club, part performance art and it speaks to a generation that views food as a way to build connection.
Beyond Nigeria, Ghana’s Selassie Atadika is expanding the language of African cuisine through her Midunu supper clubs. Known for her commitment to sustainability and tradition, her menus fuse storytelling with pan African flavors. Each dining experience is composed like a narrative, drawing from regional histories and seasonal ingredients.
From supper clubs to curated food media, the landscape of African food is being shaped by hands that honor the past while designing the future. What brings these culinary creatives together is a common drive to shift how African food is perceived and presented. To ask new questions of old recipes and serve answers that nourish far beyond the plate.
