The Nigerian culinary scene is set for a historic homecoming this November as Michelin-starred chef Adejoké “Joké” Bakare brings her acclaimed London restaurant, Chishuru, to Lagos for an exclusive four-day residency.

Slated for November 4 – 7, 2026, at the Lagos Continental Hotel, the residency is being staged in partnership with ART X Lagos, West Africa’s leading international art fair, and will feature a series of curated masterclasses for emerging Nigerian chefs, gastronomic experiences for food enthusiasts, and intimate signature dinners.

The event marks Bakare’s first return to Nigeria in over two decades. Since moving to the United Kingdom, she has risen to global prominence, making history as the first Black female chef in the UK to be awarded a Michelin star for her West African-inspired modern cuisine.

According to organisers, the Lagos edition will showcase Chef Bakare’s signature six-course tasting menu, reimagined with produce sourced from Lagos markets and farms. The menu will draw deeply on the Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa influences that shaped her childhood, fused with the refined techniques honed over 25 years in London. The bar will feature Chishuru’s cult favourites, including the Spiced Okra Martini and Pedro’s Ògógóró, a spirit distilled locally in Lagos.

Speaking ahead of the residency, Bakare described the engagement as deeply personal.

“I love Lagos and I love West African art. To cook here during one of the most creative weeks in the city’s calendar is incredibly special. This residency brings those parts of my story together. It is like coming home. It is a homecoming,” she said.

The chef said the residency is as much about inspiration as it is about food, revealing that eight chefs under the age of 30 will be selected to work alongside her team.

“One thing we have in this country is we have youths that are brimming with ideas. You cannot be what you cannot see. There is no need to look to the West. It is to look inwards in our food. For me, coming home is to show the young ones that there is so much we can learn,” Bakare stated.

“So that they can see what it is that we are doing. So that they can be inspired,” she added, stressing that the ethos of Chishuru remains telling the African story authentically. (Nigerian Tribune)