Source: Fatmata Binta (https://www.instagram.com/chef_binta/)

The cook born in Sierra Leone and currently residing in Ghana, Fatmata Binta, has been awarded the Basque Culinary World Prize 2022. The jury, chaired by Joan Roca, has valued the importance of the outreach work carried out by the Fulani chef to spread and protect the culinary culture of the largest nomadic tribe in Africa. The prize has an endowment of €100,000, destined to finance the project chosen by the winner.

Her work is reflected in the "Dine on a mat" initiative, which tries to defend "customs, flavors and ways of relating to food typical of the Fulanis, in a format that allows them to make the table a valuable source of dialogue and understanding; education and, also, of sustainable practices”.

In addition, Binta promotes the Fulani Kitchen Foundation, a foundation committed to transforming local products, such as Fonio (gluten-free cereal), into sources of income for women in the rural communities in which she works. Their initiative, which includes fundraising dinners, benefits more than 300 families from 12 communities and 4 regions of Ghana.

The foundation has already begun to work on 4 hectares, hoping to reach 500, and thus be able to export at least 200 tons of Fonio to different countries in Africa and abroad, betting on increasing the productivity of unused areas, ensuring contexts of economic autonomy, food security and employability for these rural communities.

Binta has acknowledged being very proud and grateful: “I want to thank the Basque Culinary World Prize for this great recognition. It is an honor, not only for me, but for all women who will be empowered and inspired to reach their full potential. This will shed light on the challenges, but more importantly it will bring solutions for women. Thanks to BCWP for contributing to a solution that brings about change for a better community and a better world.”

In this seventh edition, the Basque Culinary World Prize has also recognized the work of two other chefs: Douglas McMaster (United Kingdom), and Edson Leite (Brazil). The first uses his creativity to promote "zero waste" and applies innovation not only to menus, and the second designs culinary training programs and psychological support that can serve young people in search of job opportunities.