Dakar NOLA is a modern Senegalese tasting menu restaurant. Like the cuisines of the two coastal cities from which it takes its name, Dakar NOLA highlights seafood from local waters and produce from farmers here in South Louisiana. The menu is inspired by Chef Serigne Mbaye’s most cherished memories of his childhood in Senegal, where he learned to cook at his mother’s knee. Dinners at Dakar NOLA feature multiple courses, some served family style in homage to west African dining traditions.
Our goal is to explore and define modern Sengalese cuisine by using traditional Sengalese cooking spices and techniques as well as cooking techniques Chef Serigne has learned working in the kitchens of Commander’s Palace, Atelier Crenn, and Atelier Joel Robuchon.
Chef Serigne Mbaye studied culinary arts at New England Culinary Institute. He has worked at various restaurants featuring Japanese, Cuban, French, and Creole cuisines in the years since. These experiences have led him to discover flavor combinations he previously had never imagined. But he remains focused on Senegalese cuisine and the myriad of possibilities available using that rich tradition as a culinary foundation.
Many Africans who came to Louisiana during the slave trade were Senegalese. The echoes of their food traditions, as well as those of Africans from Haiti and the entire west coast of the continent, still echo in the Creole pots of New Orleans. Though born in New York and raised in Dakar, Chef Serigne feels most at home in New Orleans where his culinary voice can express itself most fully.
