The Table I’m Ready to Set
Food has always been more than nourishment. It’s a compass, a bridge, a kind of memory.
For me, it’s also how I’ve made sense of displacement, identity, and home.
I’m Selassie Atadika — a chef, humanitarian, and systems strategist — and this is a moment of reintroduction.
Born to Ghanaian parents displaced by a coup, I was raised between cultures, continents, and cuisines. My story is one of longing and return. Of asking, again and again, what it means to belong — and how food helps us remember.
Over the past two decades, I’ve worked across more than 44 African countries, listening to fire-keepers and grandmothers, foragers and home cooks. I’ve studied geography, environmental science, and international affairs. I’ve worked in post-conflict recovery zones with the UN. And I’ve built Midunu, a culinary studio in Accra, where flavor is our medium and memory is our guide.
My mission?
To reconnect the world with the wisdom of African foodways — as a blueprint for the future.
We’ve always known how to cook in ways that are sustainable, soulful, and deeply in rhythm with the earth. But those lessons have often been overlooked. Our flavors, undervalued. Our systems, dismissed.
That’s starting to shift.
Earlier this year, I was named one of seven global honorees of the 2025 TIME Earth Awards, alongside leaders like Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Michael Bloomberg. That recognition affirmed something I’ve believed all along:
Food systems change doesn’t have to start in boardrooms.
It can begin with a table.
At Midunu, we’ve been hosting nomadic dinners, designing plant-forward menus, and crafting truffles infused with indigenous botanicals. But the work goes far beyond the plate. It’s about showing that African food is not only beautiful and flavorful — it’s instructive. It holds solutions for climate resilience, economic empowerment, and cultural continuity.
So today, I’m opening the door wider.
And I’m asking you to pull up a chair.
Here’s how we can collaborate:
Speaking Engagements: I’m available for keynotes, panels, and classroom conversations around food systems, sustainability, leadership, and African culinary traditions.
Policy & Advisory: I offer grounded insights to institutions and organizations rethinking food futures through equity, culture, and climate intelligence.
Culinary Collaborations: From guest chef appearances to brand partnerships and global pop-ups, I’m bringing Ghana’s flavors — and stories — to new audiences.
Midunu Chocolates: Our award-winning truffles are entering new markets. If you’re a retailer, hotel, or gift curator interested in bold, meaningful chocolate, let’s connect.
If you’re working at the intersection of food, culture, and change, I’d love to be part of the conversation — and the solution.
This week, I’m honoring that memory — and imagining the future it might still grow.
📬 Want the full story?
Read the original Substack letter: selassieatadika.substack.com