Yewande Komolafe facts for kids

Yewande Komolafe is a talented Nigerian food writer, author, and food stylist. She is well-known for helping people in the United States discover and enjoy Nigerian food. In February 2021, Yewande became a cooking editor at The New York Times.

Early Life and Education

Yewande Komolafe was born in Berlin, Germany. German was her first language. When she was less than two years old, she moved to Lagos, Nigeria, with her parents. At 16, she moved to the United States to study.

Yewande went to the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She earned degrees in psychology and biology. Later, she studied at Baltimore International College. There, she learned about both pastries and cooking.

Yewande grew up loving food. She is the fourth generation of women in her family to work with food. Her mother was a food scientist. She even developed foods for a company called Cadbury. Yewande's mother would ring a cowbell to gather the family for dinner each night!

Career in Food

Yewande Komolafe worked in restaurants for 15 years. She started as a pastry chef, making French desserts. She worked in restaurants in Baltimore and Atlanta. In New York, she was one of the first people to work at Momofuku Milk Bar. This famous bakery is run by Christina Tosi.

While working at Saveur magazine, Yewande started developing and testing recipes. She found she really enjoyed mixing science with food. She learned that many traditional recipes, especially in Nigeria, are passed down by watching. People learn by seeing others cook, not just from written instructions.

Sharing Immigrant Food Stories

In 2016, Yewande started a special dinner series. It was called "My Immigrant Food is..." She wanted to show how food connects people and their cultures. Yewande works with Oko Farms in Brooklyn. They grow fresh produce that she uses in her meals.

Yewande started these dinners to help people understand immigrants better. She wanted to use food to bring people together. At these dinners, Yewande cooks Nigerian food. Her first dinner series featured pepper soup. This is a classic Nigerian dish. She even got tips from her mother, who still lives in Lagos. During the meals, Yewande gives guests questions to talk about. This helps people have interesting conversations.

Food Styling and Writing

Yewande Komolafe is also a food stylist. This means she makes food look amazing for photos. Her work has been seen in the New York Times, Food52, and Munchies. She has also helped restaurants create their menus.

Famous chef Mark Bittman invited Yewande to cook for a special event. She also interviewed him about his cookbook, How to Cook Everything. Yewande has also shared her recipes in The Rise. This cookbook was written by Marcus Samuelsson in 2020.

In February 2021, Yewande joined The New York Times as a cooking editor. Before that, her article "Ten Essential Nigerian recipes" was published in the New York Times in 2019. In August 2021, she talked about a new vegetarian newsletter called "The Veggie." She discussed it with Tejal Rao on a radio show called "All Of It" on WNYC.

Personal Life

Yewande Komolafe lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Mark. They have two daughters.