Hi There! My name is Malicka and I live in Chicago. I was born and raised in Benin, West Africa, where I spent the first 20 years of my life before moving to the United States. By day, I’m a Digital Forensic consultant. By passion, I’m a food blogger and content creator; though the food blogging part is pretty recent.

When I first moved to the US it was difficult for me to find the ingredients that I needed to cook the food that I grew up eating. Over the years, I’ve gained new tricks and tips up my sleeve to help me cook West African food, including the street food that we all love so much. In 2013, I created my Instagram page FoodandTravelPosts, which is now known as The Blvck Gourmet (BG).

On the BG platforms, including this blog, I share my experiences with West African food and culture. Here, you can expect to see recipes, tips and tricks for creating yummy West African dishes, stories behind ingredients and meal, and much more related topics. My main reasons for doing this are to: (1) help anyone who is going through the same struggles I went through when I first came to the US; and (2) introduce more people to not only Beninese food but also West African food in general, since we share so many dishes across the countries. This is my contribution to promoting African culture around the world.

If you are new to the West African culture, I hope you like what you see and are inspired to try some of my recipes. If you married into the culture from another culture, I got you; and I hope I and the Blvck Gourmet platforms can become your go-to resource for everything W.A. food and culture. If you know the culture or live in it, I hope you can still learn a thing or two from me. For the African Diaspora, I hope this space provides you with another way of connecting with home. No matter where you fit, I am beyond thrilled that you’re here; and I hope that, together, we can rise to the challenge of making sure African food is not neglected anymore. 

It would not be right if I didn’t tell you that documenting recipes and writing measurements down is not common in African culture. African food in general is not something you make from a book. We learn by watching our parents and grandparents cook, and it just happens! Please use my recipes as a guide.  

Read more about how/why I started this journey here. Oh, and I would love for you to become a part of the BG Fam(ily) by following me on my social media platforms and subscribing to my blog. 

Love, M.