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During a busy morning at the Boyce Farmer's Market in Fredericton, University of New Brunswick (UNB) RF Specialist and customer at the Grad House Café, Philippe Trottier, tasted Fatou Sedore’s cooking for the first time.

Upon tasting her dishes, Trottier knew he needed to incorporate these rich flavours into the UNB Fredericton Grad House’s menu.

“I liked the food and heard the Grad house was looking for something new,” he said. “I thought of her food, local, tasty and easy to eat.”

Trottier asked Sedore if she would supply food for the Grad House café.

“I was nervous at first, during the set up,” said Sedore. “I loved the feedback the students had for me right away. It means a lot to me that the UNB community has been receiving my dishes so well.”

From the warm service to the delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen, Sedore brings an experience to her customers that goes beyond a good meal. It is heart and soul in a spoonful.

“Senegal is a culture of teraanga. In my language, this means welcoming everybody. We are all on the same boat and work together to keep it from rocking. We share food the same way.”

That is the way Sedore, a Senegalese chef and business owner, provides for her community.

“Sharing food with others is a big deal to me. Wherever I go, my heritage is my food. I’m bringing my culture to Canada. You don’t have to travel to Senegal to experience it. You can come to me. I’m bringing Senegal to you with my food,” she said.

Sedore was born in Senegal, where she grew up in the town of Somone. When she moved to Canada sixteen years ago, she began selling her dishes at the Garrison Night Market and the Fredericton Boyce Farmer’s Market.

“Where I grew up, food was very important. From a young age, I’d stand beside my mom when she cooked. She showed me the love of cooking. After cooking, we would all sit down in one circle eating as a big family, chatting. Whatever we did in our day, we would all sit in one place and eat, sharing our stories. It brought us together.”

Sedore’s career as a chef began with a challenge in childhood.

“My first time cooking for my family was funny because my dad thought I could do better. I told him to watch me the whole month, pushing myself to do better every day. I began picking fresh food, mixing spices. My father was happy to see me rise to this challenge.”

After building clientele through the markets, Sedore opened her own restaurant, Food By Fatou. There she continues to provide vibrant dishes such as Senegalese rice, grilled chicken and special weekly African dishes. Many of the menu items are Halal.

“I love all my dishes because they bring me closer to home. The Senegalese special rice makes me feel close to my friends. When I lived in Senegal, my friends and I would get together to make this rice. When I miss them, I cook it. As people here in Fredericton try my food and enjoy it, I feel close to my friends once again. Food and perfume are like this—they will take you right back to these special moments.”

Sedore’s customer base continues to grow because of the intention behind her food.

With her customer-first approach, she is happy to accommodate people’s budgets and needs.

“When customers from out of town missed me at the market, I invited them to my house so I could cook for them. It is their connection to my food which brings them back to my restaurant. I cherish that.

“I can work with any budget. I want customers to feel they can rely on me.”

In this spirit, Sedore gives students a 15 per cent discount to help them afford healthy and home-cooked meals.

“When you leave your country and experience being an immigrant, you wonder if you’re going to get everything you need in the new country. In Canada, I’m able to get my spices which I miss from home and make the dishes that fill my and others’ longing for home.”

Sedore is focused on the cultural energy behind her dishes and interpersonal connections rather than competing with others.

“I’m only competing with myself. Whenever I cook, I smile in my heart because I talk to my mother. I always communicate with her that way.”

“If we each do our part and respect one another, we can do so much with multiculturalism and food. By bringing ourselves and our hearts to the table, we can explain respect through food. This is what we can teach each other.”