She is Making History: Meet Adejoké Bakare
Photo Credit: Harriet Langford
Please tell us a little bit about you, your business and where you are from?
I was born and raised in northern Nigeria, and came to the UK 25 years ago. I worked in various fields including property management and health & safety, but always dreamed of having my own restaurant – I’ve had the name ‘Chishuru’ in my head for decades. I ran a supper club or two and in 2019 a friend spotted a competition to win a three-month popup restaurant in Brixton Village, south London. I entered, and to my amazement, I won. I finally opened the restaurant in September 2020 and two months later, the food critic of the Observer came in and gave it a rave review; Brixton Village asked me to make it a permanent restaurant, and I grew from there. I closed that restaurant in October 2022, and together with my friend and business partner Matt Paice we found a new site in central London which we opened in September 2023. Five months later, I was awarded a Michelin star.
What has been your biggest obstacle whether professionally or personally, and how did you overcome it?
London landlords were not very interested in having a west African restaurant in their premises. We were flatly refused sites we wanted, and for a while with our current site it looked like the deal would fall through and we would lose everything. Summer 2023 was very challenging indeed! The answer was persistence and self-belief. I just refused to give up.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting a business?
Be prepared to throw everything into it. It is a completely different way of life to a nine-to-five job. It is also hugely personal, in a way that a job as an employee of someone else’s business is not. A business setback becomes a personal setback; a criticism of the business becomes a criticism of you. You develop a thick skin. It is of course also hugely rewarding, and if you’re lucky, financially rewarding too.
How does it feel to make history as the first black female Michelin-starred chef in the UK and the second black female Michelin-starred chef in the world?
It’s all still sinking in. It’s a great honour of course; the hospitality industry gives out lots of awards to itself, but the one that chefs care about more than any other is Michelin. And it’s lovely to imagine that I might inspire a black female chef – representation matters.
What has been the best business advice you have received to date?
My mentor, chef Jackson Boxer, told me to have a clear vision for the business and what it stands for. A vision informs all the decisions you make, and a sense of mission gives you a sense of purpose, which gives you drive.
Where can our readers connect with you online?
Instagram is the best place: @chishuru
Photo Credit: Harriet Langford
Photo Credit: Harriet Langford
