… puts Lagos on global culinary map
Four-day residency at Lagos Continental Hotel celebrates Nigerian heritage, culinary tourism and the next generation of chefs
LAGOS — Lagos has added another chapter to its growing reputation as a destination for cultural and creative experiences, following the four-day residency of Michelin-starred Nigerian-born chef, Adejoké “Joké” Bakare, and her London restaurant, Chishuru, at Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island.
The residency, which ran from November 4 to 7, 2026, brought together gastronomy, culture and hospitality in an event that celebrated Nigeria’s rich culinary heritage while showcasing the growing potential of food tourism as a driver of destination development.
Tagged The Homecoming, the event offered guests an opportunity to experience the distinctive cuisine of Chishuru, a restaurant renowned for its contemporary interpretation of West African food traditions.
The dinners reportedly attracted strong patronage, with sold-out sittings and enthusiastic responses from guests, while the programme also featured masterclasses for emerging Nigerian chefs under 30.
For Bakare, the Lagos residency represented more than an international restaurant bringing its menu to a new destination. It was an opportunity to reconnect with her roots, draw inspiration from local ingredients and culinary traditions, and share the journey that has taken her from Nigeria to the forefront of London’s restaurant scene.
From Brixton to Michelin recognition
Bakare’s culinary journey is a remarkable story of determination, cultural identity and international recognition.
Largely self-taught, she moved to the United Kingdom in 1999 and began building her culinary career before launching Chishuru as a pop-up restaurant in Brixton in 2020.
The restaurant’s rise was swift. In 2022, it was named Best Restaurant in London by Time Out magazine. In February 2024, Bakare made history as the first Black female chef in the United Kingdom to receive a Michelin Star, placing her among the leading voices in contemporary African-inspired cuisine.
She was also named Chef of the Year at the National Restaurant Awards in 2024.
Her culinary identity is deeply rooted in her Nigerian heritage. With a Yoruba father and an Igbo mother, and having grown up in northern Nigeria enjoying Hausa cuisine, Bakare draws from three major culinary traditions to create a distinctive expression of West African food.
At Chishuru, these influences are reinterpreted through contemporary techniques, presenting familiar ingredients and flavours in ways that appeal to an international audience without losing their cultural foundations.
The Lagos residency provided an opportunity to bring that culinary philosophy closer to its source.
A homecoming shaped by Lagos
The four-day event transformed Lagos Continental Hotel into a meeting point for food, culture and hospitality, attracting guests eager to experience the restaurant’s acclaimed cuisine in Nigeria.
The programme coincided with one of Lagos’ active creative periods, providing an opportunity to connect gastronomy with the city’s wider cultural offerings.
Beyond the dining experience, the residency demonstrated how restaurants and chefs with international recognition can contribute to destination promotion by creating experiences that combine food, heritage, hospitality and storytelling.
For tourists, gastronomy increasingly offers a way to understand a destination beyond its conventional attractions. A meal can provide an introduction to a people’s history, ingredients, traditions and contemporary creativity.
In this regard, Bakare’s cuisine offered a particularly compelling narrative: Nigerian food traditions interpreted by a chef whose work has earned international recognition.
The event also highlighted the potential for hotels to expand their offerings beyond accommodation and conventional dining by hosting culinary residencies, cultural collaborations and destination-focused experiences.
Investing in the next generation
An important component of the residency was Bakare’s decision to organise curated masterclasses for emerging Nigerian chefs under 30.
The initiative provided an opportunity for young culinary professionals to learn from the Chishuru approach, including the creative interpretation of indigenous food traditions and the application of contemporary culinary techniques.
The masterclasses also underscored the importance of knowledge transfer in developing Nigeria’s hospitality and culinary industries.
As interest in Nigerian cuisine continues to grow internationally, the development of skilled chefs, food entrepreneurs and hospitality professionals will be essential to translating that interest into sustainable economic opportunities.
For young Nigerian chefs, Bakare’s journey offers a practical example of how indigenous food knowledge can become the foundation of an internationally recognised culinary career.
Her achievement also challenges the perception that global culinary recognition must be built around foreign food traditions, demonstrating instead that local ingredients, cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge can form the basis of world-class dining experiences.
Gastronomy as a tourism opportunity
Nigeria’s culinary diversity remains one of its strongest cultural assets, with the country’s regional cuisines offering a broad range of experiences for domestic and international visitors.
From Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa food traditions to the distinctive cuisines of the Niger Delta and other regions, the country’s food culture provides opportunities for culinary trails, food festivals, cooking workshops, farm-to-table experiences and destination-based dining.
The Lagos residency of Chishuru illustrates how such experiences can be developed around internationally recognised chefs and restaurants.
It also points to the importance of collaboration among hotels, tourism operators, chefs, cultural institutions and destination marketers in developing food tourism as a structured tourism product.
For Lagos, a city already known for its vibrant arts, entertainment, fashion and nightlife, gastronomy offers another avenue for attracting visitors and extending their engagement with the destination.
The success of such initiatives, however, will depend on their ability to move beyond one-off events to create sustainable platforms that promote local chefs, ingredients, culinary heritage and hospitality businesses.
Bakare: Lagos exceeded my expectations
Reflecting on the experience, Bakare said bringing Chishuru to Lagos during one of the city’s most exciting creative periods was particularly meaningful.
“I love Lagos and its rich West African art, culture and creativity. Bringing Chishuru home during one of the city’s most exciting creative weeks was incredibly special,” she said.
She explained that the residency brought together the food cultures she grew up with in West Africa and the culinary journey she had built in London.
“It allowed me to create something inspired by Lagos, its ingredients and its people,” Bakare said.
The chef said she was overwhelmed by the response to the residency, including the sold-out dinners and the warmth with which Lagos welcomed the event.
“It was deeply rewarding to share our food, connect with our guests and celebrate the richness and possibilities of African cuisine. It was an experience I will treasure,” she added.
A hospitality platform for cultural experiences
Lagos Continental Hotel, which hosted the residency, positioned the event as part of its commitment to bringing distinctive culinary and cultural experiences to Lagos.
Richard Mutanda, Cluster Director of Sales and Marketing at Continental Hotel, expressed appreciation to Bakare for bringing Chishuru to Nigeria and sharing her experience with local culinary talents.
The residency highlighted the role of hospitality establishments in creating platforms that connect international culinary talent with local audiences, while supporting the development of tourism experiences rooted in culture.
From Brixton, where Chishuru began as a pop-up, to its international recognition in London, Bakare’s culinary journey has become a story of Nigerian heritage reaching global audiences.
Her Lagos homecoming brought that story full circle, offering a reminder that the country’s food traditions are not only part of its cultural identity but also a valuable resource for tourism, hospitality, creativity and economic development.
For four days, Lagos did not merely host a celebrated restaurant. It welcomed home a chef whose success has demonstrated the global possibilities of African cuisine.
And in doing so, The Homecoming served as a compelling invitation for the world to discover Nigeria through its food.
