006: Michael Elégbèdé – Executive Chef & Owner of ÌTÀN Test Kitchen in Lagos, Nigeria

What's Burning

Chef Michael Elégbèdé is a contemporary Nigerian-American Chef rediscovering, redefining and reinterpreting ingredients and cuisines around Nigeria in a creative and imaginative way.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, the urban center of one of the most diverse countries in Africa, Chef Elégbèdé grew up in a vibrant home before moving to the United States.

Returning home after 13 years to rediscover the traditional cuisine of Nigeria, Chef Elégbèdé dedicated his time to meeting with locals. This developed his holistic approach to reinterpreting the various cuisines of the country. He has collated an extensive understanding of traditional recipes, ingredients and age-old methodologies.

Chef Elégbèdé practices his craft from his test kitchen, ÌTÀN Test Kitchen, in Ikoyi, Lagos. As suggested in the name, the test kitchen endeavors to tell the story of Nigerian cuisine with a personal touch, made from locally sourced ingredients, using both ancient and modern culinary methods. ÌTÀN uses the fine dining approach to bring Nigerian cuisine, as it has never been seen before, to the cultural center that is the city of Lagos.

On this episode of "What's Burning", Chef Elégbèdé’s chat with Host Mitchell Davis includes conversation around the complexity of Nigerian cuisine, food as more than sustenance, and the importance of putting staff first.