Next Generation Leaders: Rōze Traore

After previous stints at posh New York eateries, Traore opened his Ivory Coast boutique hotel and restaurant La Fourchette de Rōze in January.

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC]

00:06 What cooking represents to me is love, community, passion,

00:11 and finding ways to share all of your creativity

00:16 by using what Mother Nature has to provide for us.

00:20 [MUSIC]

00:48 I never knew I was going to be a chef, but there was something special that I realize now

00:53 from my upbringing, which is how food was always involved in my life.

00:59 Whether that was from my parents, whether that was from me living in Paris during my childhood,

01:04 or in Ivory Coast. My dad was a fisherman. He would be gone to Alaska for three to six months at a time.

01:11 But when he would come back, he would be so excited to cook for us and show us the catch of the day.

01:18 [MUSIC]

01:20 What makes food from the Ivory Coast unique is it's comforting, it's straight to the point,

01:26 it's full with flavors, and it really brings everyone together.

01:32 The seafood in Ivory Coast is spectacular.

01:36 The play that I have off of that is I made a leek and African eggplant puree,

01:42 crispy sole with some charred leeks and potatoes, and some basil oil.

01:48 That's something that I was able to create within inspirations from the European side and the Ivorian side.

01:57 My approach was never to come in and just take away African food.

02:03 It's something that they do perfectly, and so why remove that?

02:07 But given my background, I wanted to add and introduce them to a different approach,

02:14 which is how far I could take these ingredients and merge them together.

02:19 Not only did I get myself into opening a restaurant, I added a whole different layer, which is the hotel.

02:27 It's boutique, there's no investors involved, it's a very family-oriented establishment.

02:34 I also wanted to pick a place that was special and meaningful.

02:39 When I did open it, it had a true identity of who I was, and it was backed by me.

02:46 I live off of that adrenaline and that hustle, and I think that is what keeps me moving.

02:53 When it comes to work ethic, I really give it up to my parents, my mom,

02:59 for coming to the States and creating a name for herself, creating an establishment for herself and not giving up.

03:08 I want to continue to build longevity, I want to continue to build my foundation,

03:13 I want to continue to build my identity and my powerhouse, as some would say.

03:19 [Music]

03:25 [BLANK_AUDIO]