There’s a new catering and personal chef business in Chapel Hill doing pop-up dinners with the purpose of sharing a culinary journey — but each event is also helping a local school program.

Tuki Cuisine is the latest project from Chef Papa Mbengue, who is a Senegalese cook that learned his way around kitchens in Barcelona, San Francisco, Boston and Washington D.C. before moving to Chapel Hill. His business highlights the connections between West African and Latin American dishes, something he says he learned from a museum visit in Mexico in 2011.

Chef Papa Mbengue outside the Chez Panisse in Berkley, California, where he worked before moving to Chapel Hill. (Photo via LinkedIn.)

“I remember they had computers where you can ask a question,” Mbengue told 97.9 The Hill. “I [searched] ‘connection between West Africa and Mexico’ and Senegal popped up. I said, ‘come on, am I dreaming?’ In the 16th century, there used to be Senegalese people living in that area with Aztec people, [living as] nomads and they used to trade.

“The food was definitely reminding me of home,” the chef continued. “The mole in Mexico is called maafe in Senegal. Same thing, same texture. Tamales are called moi moi, empanadas are called fattaya. The plantains, the tamarin, the ginger [ingredients]. All the dishes they have, you can find in Senegal but [named] differently.”

Mbengue says he overcame several challenges to reach this Senegalese/Latin fusion effort as a chef. One includes defying stereotypes in his home country about making a living in a kitchen. Another was learning the local language once moving to Spain, which he said he did through a special program meant to help those new to the area.

“Spanish is important in Barcelona, but if you learn Catalan, it is the main [language],” said Mbengue. “A program helped me learn Catalan and learning [it] opened a lot of doors to me. There was somebody who volunteered to practice Catalan every week with me and I learned a lot from that program.”

When he first heard about Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools’ Newcomer Program through a radio interview, Mbengue says its mission struck a chord. The program helps district students who don’t have strong uses of English become more comfortable in separate classroom settings, allowing them to slowly learn the language and integrate into the community.

Mbengue said he feels inspired to help children arriving or adjusting to American life as a way to give back now that he’s thriving in his own journey.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “One day, after dropping my kids at school, I [was] coming back and thinking about it and I felt very emotional. Because I used to be in that position: I was new in the area, didn’t know the language, and learning that language opened up a lot of doors to me.”

The first pop-up dinner that provided benefits to the Newcomer Program was held on Thursday at Mel’s Commissary and Catering in Carrboro. Those eating the six-course meal got to learn about the district effort as Mbengue described the variety of dishes plated for them.

Croquettes de poisson by Tuki Cuisine and Chef Papa Mbengue.
Senegalese chicken cheesy arepas by Tuki Cuisine and Chef Papa Mbengue.
Beignet au Chocolate by Tuki Cuisine and Chef Papa Mbengue.

While the event sold out its tickets, Mbengue plans to hold more soon — after cooking at The White House sometime in the next month as part of an effort to celebration African cuisine. And when those local pop-ups happen again, the chef says the Newcomer Program will once again be beneficiaries. Mbengue told 97.9 The Hill that he will donate around 15 percent of proceeds from each pop-up going forward.

“This is the cause I want to defend,” he said. “Knowing that my job is helping other people, young kids, to brighten their future in this country, is something that is a huge motivation for me.”

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