NEW ORLEANS (Oct. 2, 2024) — TIME named Chef Serigne Mbaye of Dakar NOLA to the 2024 TIME100 Next list.
An expansion of the TIME100 list of the most influential people in the world, TIME100 Next highlights 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, health, science and activism, and more. The full list and related tributes appear in the Oct. 14, 2024 issue, available on newsstands on Friday, Oct. 4, and now at time.com/next.
Born in Harlem, raised in Dakar and at home in New Orleans, Mbaye has cooked at Commander’s Palace, Atelier Crenn and Atelier Joel Robuchon. In 2021, he was named Eater NOLA Chef of the Year. In both 2022 and 2023, Chef Serigne was nominated for a James Beard award.
Reflecting the culinary influences of the two coastal cities that inspire its name, Dakar NOLA’s tasting menu is a celebration of Chef Serigne Mbaye’s fond memories from his childhood in Senegal, where he first learned the art of cooking alongside his mother. The dining experience at Dakar NOLA, his award-winning restaurant, includes a variety of courses, with some served family-style to pay tribute to traditional West African dining customs.
Mbaye was profiled in TIME by Nigerian-American chef Kwame Onwuachi.
“Introducing unfamiliar cultures to American palates is no small feat,” says Onwuachi. “But [Mbaye] does so with ease, strengthened by his determination to make African food as recognized and celebrated as other popular culinary traditions.”
TIME editor Sam Jacobs wrote, “Now in its fifth year, the TIME100 Next list was created to recognize that many of today’s most influential leaders are, like the 27-year-old [Jalen] Brown (one of several TIME100 cover subjects), individuals who are not waiting long in life to make an impact. Nor are they eager to respect the status quo by following the traditional power structures and pathways that have determined what influence looked like in the past. TIME100 Next has no age requirements; its aim is to recognize that influence does not have them either, nor does leadership look like it once did. Indeed, the majority of the individuals on this year’s list are leaders of color; more than half are women.”
Read the TIME100 profile of Serigne Mbaye here.
