Previous slide
Next slide

Morou cooks like he speaks, American with an accent

OUR EAT STORY

Where it all started

Morou’s culinary roots trace back to his upbringing on the Ivory Coast, where his mother’s culinary artistry sparked his interest. Inspired by her ability to transform everyday meals into festive celebrations, Morou developed a signature appeal to his food, blending African, French, and Middle Eastern flavors.

Morou's Food.losophy

Morou’s philosophy in the kitchen involves viewing traditional dishes with a fresh perspective, stating, “Dishes that are considered traditional are new to me; I see them in ways that perhaps the diner would not. So, I twist them a little.” This creativity shines through in dishes like the deconstructed Caesar, where expectations are surpassed through inventive rearrangements.

Morou in the press

Morou Ouattara is incapable of turning out boring food | Tom Sietsema Wash Post

Every dish looks like an edible puzzle. Order the “shocked” escolar, and out swim overlapping coins of blanched, wine-mari-nated fish arranged on a big white plate with a pinch of merlot “powder,” tiny green beads of wasabi-fueled gelatin, a brushstroke of pink aioli and bright yellow pickled watermelon rind. Ask for the beef filet, and you get a rosy fist of meat with a swab of raisin sauce and a perfect trail of espresso-and-pepper powder extending from it. What sound like gimmicks often translate into temptations, although a few ideas, including the “deconstructed” Caesar salad, might be better if they came with instructions for assembly.

Appeared on the first season of the Next Iron Chef  | Food Network

In Season 1, eight chefs from around the United States battled to be the next Iron Chef. The show debuted Sunday, October 7, 2007, and the hosts were Alton Brown and “The Chairman”, Mark Dacascos. Challenges one through five of the competition were held at the Culinary Institute of America. Challenges six and seven took place in MunichGermany and ParisFrance 

respectively. The final challenge took place at the Food Network studios in New York City, on the Iron Chef America set. The winner of The Next Iron Chef was Cleveland restaurant chef Michael Symon.

African/American: Making the Nation’s Table | Africa Center at Aliko Dangote Hall

 African/American: Making the Nation’s Table opened at The Africa Center at Aliko Dangote Hall in Harlem, NY in February 23, 2022. The exhibition advisors and curatorial team selected Morou to be commemorated and featured in the Legacy Quilt.
 
Ouattara mixes the West African flavors from his Ivory Coast heritage with flavors from the American Southwest at his Washington, DC, restaurant Lily and the Cactus. An Iron Chef alumnus, he is known for his deft blend of French, African, and Middle Eastern cuisines.

This Legacy Quilt block has not yet been adopted. Want to adopt this block?