Aïssatou MBAYE

Aïssatou is a Senegalese food blogger, author, and business owner. In 2015, noticing that African cuisine was often reduced to a few stereotypical dishes, she decided to change that by creating her blog, Aistou Cuisine. Her passionate goal: to diversify the range of recipes and highlight the treasures of Senegal's terroir.

Since then, Aïssatou has made it her personal mission to bring out flavors that are little-known but constitute the unexplored wealth of her country's culinary heritage. In 2019, she wrote a captivating new chapter in her culinary story by publishing her first book, "Sub-Saharan Flavors, Treasures and Recipes from West Africa," which won the prestigious WorldGourmand Award, an international recognition in the world of cookbooks.

It was also in 2019 that Aïssatou realized her gourmet dream by opening the doors of Kéliba Café in Dakar, a café-restaurant concept brimming with the delights of local flavors. Her second book, "Pastels et Yassa," published in 2021 and also award-winning, serves as a gentle reminder of the foundations of Senegalese cuisine.