Redefining African gastronomy
Chef Fatmata Binta is an award-winning chef, founder of the Fulani Kitchen Foundation, and FAO Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa.
Born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, to a Fulani family of Guinean descent, she draws from her nomadic heritage to craft a culinary philosophy rooted in sustainability, storytelling, and cultural preservation. Raised in the Fulani tradition, Chef Binta transforms food into a tool for empowerment, resilience, and global connection, redefining how the world experiences African cuisine.
Her signature initiative, Dine on a Mat, is a nomadic pop-up dining experience that immerses guests in Fulani culture through communal seating, storytelling, and ancestral ingredients such as fonio, baobab, and African locust bean.
Hosted across three continents, Dine on a Mat has become a global celebration of Fulani traditions and values, honoring simplicity, community, and connection through food.
In 2022, Chef Binta made history as the first African chef to win the Basque Culinary World Prize, recognized for using food as a powerful medium for social innovation. Through her foundation, she now supports over 300 families, empowering women with education, skills training, and income-generating enterprises.
As a FAO Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa, Chef Binta champions sustainable agriculture, food security, and clean cooking while promoting the global appreciation of African ingredients.
Awards and recognition
- 2025FAO Award for AchievementPresented by FAO Director-General QU Dongyu on World Food Day, in Rome
- 2025FAO Regional Goodwill Ambassador for AfricaFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- 2023Ambassador for Sustainable TourismUN Tourism (UNWTO)
- 2023Bellagio ResidentThe Rockefeller Foundation
- 2022Basque Culinary World PrizeBasque Culinary Center, the first African chef to win
- 2021Rising StarThe Best Chef Awards
Her advocacy bridges gastronomy, sustainability, and women’s empowerment, amplifying indigenous African knowledge systems as pathways to a more inclusive and resilient food future.
By blending heritage with innovation, Chef Binta is redefining how the world experiences African cuisine as a philosophy of care, connection, and community.
Chef Fatmata Binta stands at the crossroads of tradition and transformation. Through her culinary artistry and global advocacy, she continues to redefine African gastronomy, one mat, one meal, and one story at a time.
Chef Binta at work
Pounding grain, serving under a thatch shelter, carrying a tray up to the roof.
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A philosophy of care, connection, and community
The experience honors fading traditions, celebrating community, empathy, and cultural memory while embracing sustainability through ancestral cooking methods and low-impact ingredients like fonio, millet, moringa, baobab, and dawadawa.
Every dish is a narrative of migration, identity, and resilience, inviting guests to a sensory journey to slow down and experience food as a medium for deeper human connection.
