For years, African chefs have been gaining recognition on the global dining scene, from London to Paris, bringing the continent’s rich culinary traditions to some of the world’s most celebrated kitchens. Through regional ingredients, familiar flavours, and personal histories, they challenge old ideas about fine dining and show how African influences can shape the future of food. 

But what does it take to earn a Michelin star?

The Michelin Guide awards stars to restaurants based on the quality of their cooking, assessed by anonymous inspectors against five criteria: ingredient quality, harmony of flavours, technical skill, the chef’s personality expressed through the food, and consistency. One star recognises very good cooking, two reward exceptional refinement and creativity, while three represent the highest distinction, celebrating cuisine that reaches an extraordinary level.

Stars are awarded to restaurants rather than individual chefs, and establishments are reassessed annually. For chefs, maintaining that standard is part of the achievement.

With that in mind, here are five Michelin-starred chefs with African roots whose work is worth knowing, whether you consider yourself a food enthusiast or simply someone who enjoys a memorable meal.

Adejoké Bakare | Chishuru, London

Nigerian-born Adejoké Bakare made history in 2024 when Chishuru earned a Michelin star, making her the first Black woman in the UK to achieve the distinction. Her restaurant celebrates West African cooking through dishes shaped by familiar regional ingredients, spices and traditions, presented in fresh, unexpected ways. It is proof that food many people grew up eating can hold its own on the fine-dining stage

Mory Sacko | MoSuke, Paris

Born in Paris to Malian parents, Mory Sacko brings African, French and Japanese influences together at MoSuke. The restaurant’s menu adopts different culinary traditions rather than sticking to just one. His cooking reflects how food can tell a personal story, shaped by family heritage, experience and curiosity about other cultures.

Aji Akokomi | Akoko, London

Akoko was founded to give West African cuisine the recognition it deserves in fine dining. Its menu draws on culinary traditions from Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal, reworking familiar dishes and flavours through careful technique. Akokomi’s vision is to show that West African food can stand on its own in fine dining, without needing to imitate another cuisine.

Omar Dhiab | Omar Dhiab, Paris

French chef Omar Dhiab draws on his Egyptian and Tunisian heritage alongside contemporary French cooking. At his Paris restaurant, these influences appear in the details, from Egyptian-inspired flavours to carefully developed sauces. His approach shows how cultural roots can inform a chef’s style without defining every dish on the menu

Georgiana Viou | Formerly Rouge, Nîmes

Born in Cotonou, Benin, Georgiana Viou built a culinary style that brings together the flavours of her childhood and the ingredients of southern France. At Rouge, where she led the kitchen from 2021, she combined Mediterranean cooking with Beninese ingredients such as red palm oil, afitin, a fermented seed condiment, and chilli. The restaurant earned its Michelin star in 2023. Viou has since left Rouge and is now involved with the restaurant L’Ami at Sofitel Cotonou, continuing to draw on the culinary traditions of Benin and France.

These chefs have different backgrounds and approaches, but their work shares one important quality: a willingness to bring their own experiences to the table. Whether through West African dishes, a blend of culinary traditions or flavours drawn from family heritage, they are helping broaden the way people experience food. And that is what makes their stories worth following.

 Great food is about more than what is on the plate. It is also about the people, places, and histories behind it.