Image courtesy of Dakar NOLA
Chef Serigne Mbaye
For the second time, the Senegalese native was named Best Chef in the South at the 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago on June 15. Chef Mbaye, one of two New Orleans chefs to be nominated, credits New Orleans for the win. Mbaye arrived in New Orleans to open Dakar nearly a decade ago, serving multiple-course, family-style dinners that blend modern West African cuisine with locally sourced seafood and produce—earning him one of the nation’s most prestigious honors in the restaurant industry.
