Selassie Atadika

Chef, Owner, Midunu; Accra, Ghana

After more than a decade spent engaged in humanitarian work with the United Nations and years of self-teaching in the culinary arts, Selassie Atadika completed course work at The Culinary Institute of America. She is a founding member of Trio Toque, the first nomadic restaurant in Dakar, Senegal. Selassie brought her innovative approach to African cuisine back home in 2014. Her food enterprise is Midunu, a nomadic and private dining enterprise in Accra that embodies New African Cuisine. Midunu is a culinary lifestyle company that celebrates Africa's cultural and culinary heritage, with the goal to create experiences where culture, community, and cuisine intersect. Midunu employs local, seasonal, and underutilized ingredients, including traditional grains and proteins, to deliver Africa’s bounty to the table. With an eye towards biodiversity and sustainability, it curates white-linen nomadic events, private dining, retail and lifestyle products, and a bespoke event space. Midunu’s Nomadic Dinners have attracted attention with diners from five continents. A favored part of the Midunu dining experience is its final course: delectable handcrafted chocolate truffles. Selassie has been sought for her thought leadership by CNN African Voices, The Financial Times, The Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), OmVärlden, as well as mentioned in Vogue, National Geographic’s The Plate, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Ebony. She holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in geography modified with environmental studies from Dartmouth College. She was one of the 2017 EAT Foundation and CIA Global Top 50 Plant-Forward Chefs, a 2018 Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture Exchange fellow, and a 2019 World Restaurant Award judge. (Accra, Ghana) @midunughana