L'Afrikasien du mois de juin : Diadié Diombana

This month we interviewed Diadié Diombana, a chef of Malian origin. Diadié Dombiana is a 26 year old chef who combines culture and art with gastronomy. He already has many projects to his credit, such as his collaboration with Nike or a stint in "Qu'est ce qu'on mijote" on M6. It is an honor for our association to put forward a talent like his.

I have learned from your previous interviews that you are the eldest of a family of 5 children and that of 5 children and that you got a taste for cooking by cooking for your four younger sisters. What made you decide to make it your career?

Initially, I wanted to be a fighter pilot. So I participated in PMDs (Military Discoveries), which allowed me to experience the daily life of a soldier through all its activities.

I loved these experiences, and even though I knew I was colorblind, I thought I could slip through the cracks.

through the cracks. But it didn't! I then hesitated to reorient myself in the

but it seemed more ethical to go into gastronomy. I have always loved

cooking since I was a kid, so gastronomy was a natural fit for me!

You mix three different culinary origins: Malian because of your origin, French and Asian. Where does your liking for Asian cuisine come from? What is it that inspires you in this cuisine?

Brioche fourrée shiitakés comté

I have always been anchored in the predominant culture of my mother and grandmother (Malian and French). Later, I discovered new foods such as Asian cooking when I was in high school. It is from this period that I had the curiosity to go discover new horizons, other ways of doing and eating. Asian cooking inspires me by its simplicity, its finesse and its beauty.

I would love to learn more about this gastronomy and more about Asian culture. I have a very open mind so I am always looking for new techniques and new flavors. Why not one day go to

Osaka, meet local chefs and learn even more...?

You also combine food and art. It's very smart when you think about it because cooking is an art in itself, we often talk about culinary art or gourmet art. Are you inspired only by graphic art (paintings, drawings, comics) ? Or have you already created a dish inspired by music or poetry? And how do you transcribe it through your culinary creations?

For me, we are all artists. Art is a question of emotion. Everything inspires me : people

people, music, graphics... It's a story of tastes and ways of doing things that are specific to each one. As soon as I feel an emotion, if I am sad, tired, angry, or if I am in love, it will have consequences on my in love, it will have consequences on my cooking.

For me, there is no cooking without music ! I always work with music, it calms me down

and motivates me, it helps me to concentrate.

So combining art and cooking is quite instinctive for me, it's something abstract and

and very personal. Everyone will make their own interpretation of this retranscription in my culinary creations. I always try, beyond the taste and the flavors, to always put love in what I do.

What is the traditional Malian dish that you would like to revisit and why?

BASSI is a semolina-based dish that is eaten with a spinach sauce. It is so

good! Or the FAKOY, a sauce with a mixture of spices that is eaten with meat.

These are emblematic dishes, which represent for me the soil, very nutritious.

I would like to make these dishes more aesthetic and more accessible to all because they have a strong but visually I think they should be revisited.

What was your favorite dish to make for your little sisters?

Often, on weekends, I would make brunch for the whole family: fried eggs, shallots

deglazed with vinegar, baguette, vache qui rit, glass of hot milk with coffee or chocolate...

Always salad and meat. It was usually an informal late-night gathering all together with lots of food to eat, I was in charge of it. Beyond a particular dish it was a moment that we shared.

We are grateful to Chef Diombana for the time he gave us during this interview, if you want to go taste his cuisine, go to La Chope des Artistes in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. You can also follow him on Instagram: @freddyskitchen