For many, food is the joy of life. The range of delicious cuisines from all over the world means that there are probably millions of people who’d count meal times as their favourite times of the day.
However, there are some who have dedicated their life’s work to finding the best food, and displaying them in new, innovative ways that’ll have you coming back for more; and Chef Mick Élysée is one of these people.
Born in Congo, Élysée moved to France at the age of 14 and used this as an opportunity to educate himself as much as possible with the world of food. Since then, he graduated from one of the country’s most prestigious culinary schools, and began a successful career running his own restaurants, and experimenting with new tastes and methods of cooking.
After launching his new seasoning line, Yasomo Blends, Chef Élysée spoke to Pride about his passion for food, his tasty combinations and bringing African cuisine, with a twist, to a bigger, global market.
Your style of cuisine is ‘afro-fusion’ – how did you decide upon this cuisine as your career focus?
Cooking has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I thought of myself as a scientist! While my friends would spend time playing football, I would be trying different ingredients, combinations, flavours in order to create the perfect dish. It was only natural for me to choose the culinary pathway. After graduation, I decided to use my Congolese background as a signature style. I wanted to valorize my culture but also have the option to use a wide variety of product to stimulate my creativity.
(Photo by PK Del Mar)
Seeing as you’re of Congolese descent, this comes through in your food. What is an essential Congolese dish, and how do you put your own spin on it?
Our national dish is Pondu, a stew of cassava leaf served with grill fish or meat. We usually have this meal on Sunday. I use my YaSomo Spice Blend “Vegetable Marinade” to add a special touch to the dish and my children can’t get enough of it.
Do you think some people underestimate how varied and diverse African food can be?
Of course! However, tastes differ and people change. The lack of diversity in african cuisine is an old cliché. There is a growing awareness of and love for our cuisine worldwide. With the new generation of Chefs, people don’t need to travel anymore to discover the essence of our food, they just need to go the restaurant. We are breaking barriers with our art and that’s the beauty of it all.
Chef Mick Élysée: ‘Cooking has been my passion for as long as I can remember.’ (Photo: Alina By)
What is your guilty pleasure food?
It has to be what we call in Congo “Mikaté na ngumba”, also known as “puff puff and peanut” in western Africa countries. That was my after school snack and I’m still a big fan of that treat until today.
Do you think African cuisines are breaking more into the mainstream? Will we be seeing more ‘3-min egusi soup’ and ‘microwave jollof rice’ ready meals in the next couple of years?
I do believe so. You can find Suya spice or jollof rice meals in ready to eat section at many supermarkets in London, this speaks volume. The industry is now seeing value in our culture, this is a good time for young entrepreneurs to come up with good and tasty products in order to fill this empty gap.
You recently released your own spice range – YaSomo Blends. Where does the name come from, and how did you develop the spices?
YaSomo means the summum in Lingala, which is the national language in Congo DRC and Congo RC. Every Chefs have their own special touch. I received so many positive feedback and requests on my marinades that I decided to commercialised them. My team and I worked around the project until we were satisfied. The final range is ready so the next step will be have them into supermarkets and specialised boutiques. The whole process took us almost a year, but it was necessary as I wanted to offer to my customers the perfect spice blends with my special Congolese touch.
And finally, what’s next for you?
I’m very superstitious! Let’s just say that we have a few surprises in the pipeline…
To find out more about Chef Mick, YaSomo Blends and his private dining events, head to his website – mickelysee.com
