Adejoké “Joké” Bakare is not just cooking in London, she’s reshaping how we think about West African food. Born and raised in Kaduna, Nigeria, with Yoruba and Igbo heritage, she draws on rich regional traditions, from Hausa influences to East Nigerian street food, to craft a menu that feels both deeply rooted and boldly contemporary.
Her restaurant, Chishuru, started as a pop-up in Brixton in 2020 after winning a cooking competition. It rapidly earned praise and, in 2023, moved to a permanent location in Fitzrovia. Less than six months after opening in this new space, Chishuru was awarded a Michelin star, making Bakare the first Black woman in the UK to achieve that honour.
What sets Bakare apart is not just prestige, but her approach. She doesn’t strive for a narrow idea of “authenticity,” but instead fuses flavours, memories, and ingredients from across West Africa, using things like uziza, egusi, or scotch bonnet alongside more familiar textures and techniques, in dishes that surprise and comfort in equal measure.
Bakare also challenges expectations of what a Michelin-starred restaurant should be. Chishuru is informal, lively and generous — a place where food and hospitality combine to tell stories of culture, family and migration. It isn’t fine dining by formal rules, but it redefines excellence for a modern, diverse London audience.
Her rise — from running supper clubs and pop-ups, to being named Chef of the Year and Woman of the Year in various awards — reflects a larger shift: Londoners are embracing West African cuisine not as niche or novelty, but as central to the city’s culinary story. Bakare is both leading and benefiting from this shift.
In redefining West African cuisine, Adejoké Bakare isn’t just cooking from her roots, she’s planting new ones in London.