NEW YORK, United States - Fine dining may feel like a far-off fantasy, especially now when waves of quarantine forced beloved restaurants in neighborhoods across the country to close their doors for good. In the pre-pandemic period, the lens on black culinary leadership was widening albeit slowly, with the success of highly visible chefs and personalities such as Marcus Samuelsson, Tabitha Brown, and Carla Hall - whose prominence extended beyond restaurants to cook books, television shows, and product lines.

On the other side of the coin, the cuisines of the diaspora have found even greater audiences via distinct collectives such as Bronx-born Ghetto Gastro or as inspiration for non-diaspora restaurants, such as Michelin-starred Ikoyi in London known for its menu that is heavily influenced by West African spices. Yet fine dining can still feel out of reach for most, even without the constraints of a global pandemic.

Imagine a duo of soft and hard shell clams steamed in a buttery broth of homemade epis seasoning served with toasted Haitian hardough bread followed by a plate of braised goat and mashed provisions of yams, malanga, yuca, plantain, and potato. A slice of molasses ginger cake topped with caramel sauce infused with coffee, Haitian Rhum, and cham cham, a corn and peanut brittle, caps the end to a flawless dinner. Now imagine this three-course meal delivered to your door. Meet Adá  Supper Club, a new food concept reimagining the discovery and accessibility of fine dining led by diaspora and women chefs.

PROTOChic connected with Adá  Supper Club founder Nkem Oghedo to learn more about her mission, today’s landscape within the food industry, and how she successfully pivoted to deliver the fine dining experience at home.

PROTOChic: What inspired the launch of a supper club and how has your vision come to life in this first year of business?

Nkem Oghedo: I actually grew up wanting to be a chef. Somehow getting involved in the food industry was always in the back of my mind. Last summer, I attended a sold-out supper club event and was honestly unimpressed by the experience. I remember thinking I can do this way better.

PROTOChic: What was missing from the food landscape that encouraged you to put forth this concept?

Nkem Oghedo: Ownership of our own culture and voice. Like in many other industries, black and/or female food folks are rarely given the space to fully express themselves and are rarely centered in the conversation. We're often delegated to positions where we don't actually own anything, so ownership and full range of expression are important to me.

I'm not saying that all black chefs should cook food of the African diaspora, but I do want to normalize black food traditions participating in the full range of food presentation - not just mom & pop shops or takeout, but also fine dining.

PROTOChic: You referenced the importance of ownership and in so many ways, culture is inextricably linked to each of the selected chefs - who hail from Jamaica, Haiti, and the United States - each with their own stories and traditions that they uniquely incorporate into their fine dining experiences. How do you select the roster of chefs you collaborate with?

Nkem Oghedo: It's really about creating spaces to tell those often overlooked stories -- and to do so on our own terms. I think a lot about James Baldwin's assertion that we can only be destroyed by believing that we really are what the white world defines us as. I try to collaborate with people who inspire me. I do a lot of social media stalking of fabulous food folks and slide in lots of DMs. I'm always so geeked when people actually respond! 

PROTOChic: Your careful curation has paid off and yet, we are now in a drastically transformed time period from when you first launched the business. Can you share the story behind your pivot to in-home fine dining, aptly named “A NIGHT IN"? What are a few of the challenges you are facing in this current context?

Nkem Oghedo: In February, I kicked off my in-person dinner series - the original manifestation of Adá. In my typical type A way, I had planned dinners from February through September. Then, Miss Rona came through and I thought a lot about the mission of Adá and how I could still be true to that in this new environment.

[Outside of Adá], I also work at a direct-to-consumer subscription brand, so ‘delivered to your door’ is a value proposition that I think about daily and that I appreciate the complexities of. I happened to catch up with a friend from business school, who was launching Zevv, a business that creates clean energy mobile restaurants and robust delivery infrastructure. It was all very serendipitous! The universe always works.

Operationally, one of the key challenges is developing a packaging experience that is delightful, but also durable and insulated. Another challenge is creating an experience that allows as many people to participate as possible. In this initial round of “A NIGHT IN,” we’ve changed chefs, cuisine types and locations each day of service. Moving forward, I'm thinking through ways to reduce the number of moving parts.

PROTOChic: We are excited to see Haiti featured in this month's culinary journey - what can guests expect with Lespri led by chef Cybille St. Aude?

Nkem Oghedo: Lespri is going to be magical. Chef Cybille has put together a thoughtful, rich, and playful menu that folks will really love. Speaking with her about her process, I’ve learned so much about the history of Haiti and Haitian culinary traditions - from its folklore to daily life in the capital city, Port-au-Prince.

PROTOChic: Despite the uncertainty, what is your future ambition for Adá?

Nkem Oghedo: I wish for Adá to become synonymous with bold authenticity, joyful freedom, and GOOD EATS! I want people to think about an Adá experience and feel like they can be their authentic selves because they saw it modeled so excellently around them.

PROTOChic: Lastly, favorite food memory?

Nkem Oghedo: One of my favorite food memories is eating freshly pounded yam with okra soup in my mother's village in Delta State, Nigeria. I had never had fresh pounded yam before; growing up in New York, we often only had the powdered potato version - and I was so enthralled by the sour tanginess of it. I loved watching and hearing my uncle work on the giant mortar and pestle. So rhythmic and energetic!

Join the waitlist for Adá HERE.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Image courtesy of Adá Supper Club / @adasupperclub.