Chef Tayo fed a village last night at his highly coveted home communal dining experience. The extraordinary IT Chef of the moment offered an almost rare and once in a golden opportunity for press/influencers to take part in his highly sought after exclusive homecooked meal dinning experience at his swanky abode in SOHO, New York City, and I couldn’t pass up such an opportune moment for all the gawds in the hemisphere!
Upon arrival, I was faced with a room full of esteemed guests of various backgrounds and vocations. Many of them had traveled far and wide to partake in the fête. We were welcomed with summer fresh cocktails, to set the mood. The affair offered a great opportunity for networking and connecting with many like-minded guests, many of whom were women. We came as strangers, laughed, connected, bonded, and left like long-time best friends. Without further ado, after Chef Tayo’s heartfelt introduction of his humble beginnings in Nigeria (watch the speech in the reel linked below), infused with Italian food culture, which he picked up after migrating to Italy from Nigeria. This set the precedence for the evening. With the help of his dedicated and thoughtful staff members, guests proceeded to the rooftop area, which had been set up with the iconic city skyline offering the perfect backdrop for the sumptuous feast. The table setting included personalized velvet pouches for each guests, with names embroidered in gold threads, and vintage style Polaroid cameras for guests to utilize in capturing the memorable evening under the stars.
We started off the 5 course dinner with fresh garden salad, then the pasta garnished with one of Nigeria’s favorite, the fried plantain, aka “dodo”, before moving on to his trademark Nigerian-Italian Jollof Risotto, cleverly escaping the Jollof war.
The delectable menu also included salivatory mango glazed branzino, some had it with lobster. The 5 course meal wouldn’t be complete without a classic Italian gelato, the perfect touch for a warm summer night. It was a Michelin Star quality dining that any African or Italian Grandma would be proud of. The meal was heartfelt, well seasoned, unpretentious, and filing.
The weather initially threatened to derail the highly anticipated celebratory summer rooftop dining, but with prayers to every sacred deities known to man (and of the Chef’s), the weather let up! Whew!
Chef Tayo is a Nigerian immigrant in America living his best American dream possible, serving as a great inspiration for many with similar humble backgrounds. He truly embodies his true origin with the theme of the “Ebi Ayo Supper Club,” tapping deeply into the core of African communal daily activities and dining experience of embracing and loving thy neighbor. Dare I say, no one has set the bar as high as Chef Tayo in NYC when it comes to homecooked dinning with a sincere heart and soul felt in every bite! Considering the astonomical commercial rent of restaurant space in NYC, Chef Tayo is on to something, definitely well ahead of the curve with his concept of “home dining!” It’s an experience not to be missed.
Be sure to click here to watch the reel on instagram from the festivities. 🥂💋
Jollof Risotto by Chef Tayo
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