Pastry entered Mame Sow’s life through sheer indulgence! Initially drawn to architecture, she ultimately surrendered to her love of chocolate and pivoted to culinary arts. Her passion for construction now finds expression in the meticulous crafting of her cakes.
Born in Senegal, Mame Sow built her career in the United States, where she has lived since her teens. A scholarship recipient at the French Culinary Institute (now the Institute of Culinary Education), she rose from commis to executive chef in pastry kitchens, hotels, and restaurants, all while nurturing her ambition to open her own establishment. She also contributed her expertise in Dubai during the World Expo.
Her international experience has shaped a clear-eyed yet optimistic perspective on African cuisine, which she believes is unjustly overlooked but ripe with potential. Through pastry, she has made it her mission to shift global attitudes toward African cuisine—and, by extension, the continent itself.
A Love Letter to the African Continent
Mame Sow approaches pastry with a commitment to showcasing the bold flavors of African cuisine. A self-proclaimed chocolate enthousiaste, she favors cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria, often enhancing it with Touba coffee—infused with Guinea pepper or black chili—to add smoky, spicy notes. Among her signature ingredients is vanilla, particularly from Guinea-Bissau, which she pairs with globally lesser-known flavors like baobab.
Surprised to find only mille-feuilles, éclairs, and other European desserts in Senegalese patisseries, she reimagines traditional African sweets with modern flair. During her time in Dubai, she showcased updated versions of iconic desserts through her Shoebox Bakery—a tribute to African Americans who once carried meals in shoeboxes due to segregation. Highlights included Sombi (Senegalese rice pudding) and South Africa’s Malva pudding with apricot jam.
Mame Sow is celebrated for her bold, original creations. Standouts include the “gâteau Dakar”, her « love Letter to Senegal » as she says—:a vanilla cake with baobab mousse and hibiscus jam—and the “Congo”, blending chocolate and coconut for pure indulgence.
Transform Perceptions of Africa through its Cuisine
For Mame Sow, the underrepresentation of African cuisine stems from public unfamiliarity and entrenched stereotypes. Bombarded with negative imagery, global gourmands struggle to envision the continent’s culinary richness. She believes it is essential to shift perceptions of Africa, share a positive vision of the continent, and that cuisine can be an elegant way to contribute to this goal.
She identifies no barriers to the global rise of African cuisine, whose dishes blend freshness, simplicity and rich taste. With humor, she notes that Japan managed to popularize sushi even all over the world—Mafé or chicken Yassa shouldn’t face greater challenges in winning over palates.
Her optimism is fueled by her Expo 2020 Dubai experience, where she collaborated with award-winning chef Alexander Smalls to launch a dedicated African dining space. The traditional and contemporary dishes offered by renowned African chefs were met with great enthusiasm, a memory she recalls with emotion, proud to have contributed to this introduction to African gastronomy.
According to Mame Sow, transforming perceptions of African cuisine must start with Africa itself. African culture does not sufficiently value careers in the culinary arts. While the continent has no shortage of quality restaurants, most are international establishments—Italian, Asian, or otherwise. The pastry chef argues that promoting African cuisine must first happen locally, advocating for more African fine-dining restaurants to emerge—establishments that visitors will recommend as eagerly as they do with other international cuisines today.
The diaspora, she believes, plays a pivotal role in this shift—a role she intends to amplify through a forthcoming project, which she promises to share soon. Stay tuned!
