Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamil Djibril Bah-Traore.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
My name is Djamil Djibril Bah-Traore. I am a Togolese citizen by birth, but my ancestral roots hail from Mali. Togo and Mali are part of West Africa, so I like to say that I am a proud West African. Like many of my countrymen and women, I came to America to study on an international student visa. I never imagined that my studies would lead me where I am now. How can a finance guy become a chef?
Cooking in my family started with my great-grandfather. I believe this all was meant to be and started long before I was born. I do not want to sound like a dreamer or turn my story into a fairy tale. However, once you hear it all, you might agree with me. Before I proceed, you have to understand that cooking in Africa was more like a women’s thing for a long time. Men were not allowed in the Kitchen for many reasons. My mother hail from the royal tribe of “Molla” in central Togo, and my father is from the preachers’ tribe of” Traore” in Mali. So, as you see, I come from a very orthodox and religious family.
The story goes that my great-grandfather was the exception regarding not allowing boys in the Kitchen. At a young age, he distinguished himself from others and always wanted to be independent regarding his nutrition needs. So, he always wanted to learn how to cook and got quite a few whacks from his parents when they found him in the Kitchen. It was with ease that his father sent him off to school when the German colonizers came recruiting kids. My great-grandfather went on to work for the German in Togo as a chauffeur and a cook. After World War 1 and 2 and the French’s takeover of Togo, he continued working for Lebanese ex-pats in the food industry.
This was odd and very progressive at the time. My great-grandfather passed on his love and passion for cooking to my grandfather and his male siblings. This became a tradition in my mother’s family, and every male born had to be a great cook. Naturally, I was not going to be any different than my granddads and uncles. Against my father’s will, my mother and grandmother taught me how to cook early. It is in their comforting arms that I learned the secrets of the African Culinary Heritage.
This, at times, was a subject of heated arguments between my parents. My dad did not like that idea at all. But my mom insisted that I had to follow her family tradition’s paths. Still, I could not envision a career in the culinary field. In the typical African manner, I had to be a lawyer, a banker, or a doctor. So, I studied accounting and finance. That is how I pursued a degree in Accounting at Bellevue University. After my Bachelors’ from Bellevue, I spent over a decade working for corporate American in managerial roles in diverse fields with companies like PacifiCare, AT&T, Citibank, PayPal, and TPG.
In 2013, I realized that there was a void in my life and decided to follow my passion for culinary fully. I quit everything I was doing and enrolled in Metropolitan Community College to obtain my Associate in Culinary arts. Following my graduation in 2015, I have worked in a few catering companies and restaurants in Omaha and three full services hotels (two Marriot and one Hilton) and obtained a Master’s in Hospitality and Restaurant Management from the Conrad Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston as well as a Certificate in IT Project Management from the University of Illinois in Springfield, and a Facebook Digital Marketing Certificate from Metropolitan Community College. I envisioned a long career in the Hotel industry and a return to Africa to teach one day. Life had something else in store for me, I thought. However, something was brewing again in me.
Throughout the years of working in restaurants and hotels, I witnessed how little Africa’s Culinary Heritage was represented. I subsequently founded House of Bah, a catering company, and Eat N talk Africa, a Non-for-profit organization. Our goal is to introduce positive social and economic changes in consumers’ lives and professional and nonprofessional food entrepreneurs in the Omaha hospitality industry. Hopefully, this initiative will bring the conversation about the need for culinary diversity and inclusiveness to the forefront of social issues that need solving and attract more diverse populations to be receptive to immigrants/refugees, BIPOC, and African cuisines.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Crazy and blessed are probably the words I will use to describe my adventure. I am still on this journey, and nothing is easy. I have been on this road for about ten years now, and sometimes it feels like people don’t see what I see. Most do not understand that food can help solve many issues easily because of how it connects us. To be an innovator, one must be willing to sacrifice a lot. Before branching out of the local food industry, I tried to bring change from within. I quickly realized the resistance I faced was due to the lack of knowledge about the type of cuisines I was bringing awareness about. At times I was stunned by the walls we see in our local “professional” industry when introducing minority cultures. I cannot understand the unwillingness to try new things. Folks are set in their ways as if they are unaware of the social and cultural changes in the composition of our community. America is a melting pot of many cultures that form the fabric of our society. Yet many people cannot find themselves represented in the menu and dishes many put on their tables. Many are unaware of the critical roles that food may play in the revival of their communities. Our challenges are on two fronts. First, we must educate the non-professional population and help them rediscover immigrants/refugees, BIPOC, and African Culinary Heritage. Second, we must find a way to bring culinary professionals to realize that diversifying their business will benefit them economically and culturally. I am blessed to be part of the trailblazers who are working to make this change. Today the two organization that I founded House of Bah and Eat N’ Talk Africa are bringing awareness to the problems I aforementioned and more importantly are offering opportunities to fix them.
We love to hear about any fond memories you have from growing up.
My mom would be proud when she asked me to cook for her and her friends. She would purposely ask me to make something when she would have company and enjoyed seeing how her friends were amazed by my culinary skills. They could not believe that a boy could cook like that and would be asking if their daughters could marry me in the future.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
House of Bah
House of Bah is a catering company that aims to promote diversity and inclusiveness in the US hospitality marketplace by providing innovative food services centered on a fusion of emergent African cuisines and modern techniques. The Company was formed on 02/04/2016 as a Limited Liability Company under Nebraska state laws and headed by Chef Bah-Traore.
Mission Statement: “Authentic, innovative, and scholastic African culinary experience for every taste bud.”
Eat N Talk Africa
Eat N’ Talk Africa’s purpose is to improve the racial and social relations between communities by creating forums for intercultural exchanges on African culinary heritage to spark meaningful conversations about race relations in America. The organization was formed on 10/22/2020 as a non-For-profit under Nebraska state laws and headed by Chef Bah-Traore.
Mission Statement: “Fostering connections and solving social issues within our community through education and promoting African Culinary Heritage.”
Problem We Are Solving:
• The need for diversity and inclusion in the hospitality, banquet, and event industry.
• The need for African Cuisine’s niche products and services.
• The need for education on the African culinary heritage.
• The need for new and unique dining experiences.
• The need for new and unique delivery meal products.
Solutions To Problems:
• Offering African cuisines are consulting services to hospitality and event/banquet businesses in Omaha.
• Offering urban food dwellers new and niche products and services and the experience they are looking for.
• Introducing contemporary fusion African food as a fine/casual dining choice into the Omaha hospitality marketplace.
• Offering scholastic products and services such as classes, forums, training, and events on African culinary heritage.
• Introducing customers to contemporary fusion African food as ready delivery meals into the Omaha hospitality marketplace.
Our Services:
• Consulting
• Catering
• Personal Chef
• Meal Planning
• Teaching
Support / Join the Tribe/ Diversify with Us:
• Schedule a consulting session!
• Check our website!
• Follow us on social media!
• Sign up for our newsletter!
• Become an advocate!
Contact us:
• House of Bah
• Tel: 402-212-7149/ 203-909-3531
• Web: www.houseofbah.com
• Social Media: FB: @houseofbah IG: @houseofbah Twitter: @houseofbah
Eat N Talk Africa
• Web:www.eatntalkafrica.org
• Social Media: FB:@eatntalkafrica IG: @eatntalkafrica Twitter: @eatntalkafrica
Pricing:
We love to hear about any fond memories you have from growing up.
My mom would be proud when she asked me to cook for her and her friends. She would purposely ask me to make something when she would have company and enjoyed seeing how her friends were amazed by my culinary skills. They could not believe that a boy could cook like that and would be asking if their daughters could marry me in the future.
Pricing:
- Check our website
Contact Info:
- Tel: 402-212-7149/ 203-909-3531
- Website: www.eatntalkafrica.org
- Instagram: www.eatntalkafrica.org
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/eatntalkafrica
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/eatntalkafrica
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/eatntalkafrica
- Other: www.houseofbah.com
Image Credits
Kahard Djibril Ahmad Djibril Happy Anani Manny Shoot
