Chefs
Djamil Bah-Traore Community Kitchen Partner
Chef Djibril Djamil Bah-Traore is a West African immigrant from Togo. He is a tenacious chef and entrepreneur who aims to cast fresh and diversified light on Africa’s rich culinary history. Djibril is the founder of the House of Bah Foundation (formerly known as Eat N’ Talk Africa) in Omaha, Nebraska, which enhances equitable employment access and cultural diversity in the community through culturally affirming cuisine education and credentialed culinary training for BIPOC, immigrants, and refugees. House of Bah also creates learning forums to promote the intercultural exchange of BIPOC culinary heritage, sparking meaningful conversations about inclusion and building equitable and sustainable communities for people of color.
Djenkoume (Tomato-Cornmeal Polenta)
While I was still in West Africa, my mother and I read Jacques Pépin’s autobiography The Apprentice. It’s what inspired me to become a chef! I learned how to cook from my mother and later cooking became how I mourned her. This djenkoume is a traditional side dish that we made in Togo, where I am from. Toasting the cornmeal first adds a fragrant, nutty flavor.
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