[bctt tweet=”What makes Serial Foodie unique is me and my pen – Aida Bamba” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
Ever heard of the saying that the period after a break up is your most creative? Aida Bamba started blogging in July 2015 after breaking up with her then boyfriend. Aida had put a pause to her passion for writing for her ex but then after the break-up decided not to put the desires of others ahead of hers.
Firm in her resolve not to stop herself anymore, Aida Bamba eventually started blogging at Serial Foodie. Serial Foodie explores and reviews restaurants in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. As a foodie with a flair for cooking and an Agro-Food engineer, Aida brings her unique background to food blogging. This lady can tell if you haven’t put enough mint in a mojito.
Why did you decide to start Serial Foodie?
I decided to launch Serial Foodie in December 2015. I started my blog on advice from Orphelie Thalmas one of the best bloggers in Ivory Coast. She informed me that several people had loved an article I’d written reviewing a restaurant and suggested that I might have to specialise.
I had already made a tour of many restaurants at that time. Not to mention, I have a talent for cooking and I’m an Agro-Food engineer by training, therefore have an understanding on a number of processes. I decided it was a good idea to specialise in food blogging and that I was going to follow Orphelie’s advice.
Together, we chose the name of the blog, Serial Foodie and the slogan, “A gourmet in the city”. And that’s how Serial Foodie was born.
You started blogging after a break up, can you tell us about that?
I have always had complex emotional relationships. I have too many things to think about, there are many things in mind that I would like to achieve. This often disconnects me from reality. When you’re in a relationship, it is not obvious.
In that relationship, I wanted to give the maximum and that lead to sacrificing myself. I put my passion for writing on hold. Unfortunately, my sacrifices did not lead to anything and we parted ways.
What do you think makes Serial Foodie unique?
What makes Serial Foodie unique is me and my pen. My way of transcribing the experiences lived in restaurants is my own. For me, to describe an experience in a restaurant is not limited to just saying; “I went here, I tasted these dishes, I liked it or not, the price ranges are, the place is located here and the number is…”
For me, what counts is reception. How did I get to this restaurant? Do I like its decoration and ambience? What of the hygienic aspect? Then, my special feature is to focus on the dish. To give information on the components that I perceive; the recipes, the good flavours, the bad flavours.
I will know for example if a cocktail lacks an ingredient or if a step has been missed. This is what I propose to those who read my blog; a unique experience that until now has only been offered by me.
Abidjan has the reputation of being very cosmopolitan, what’s the foodie scene like there?
Since the end of the crisis, the city of Abidjan has seen an increase in the number of restaurants. These restaurants cover all edges and are diverse.
From Asian specialities to local cuisines, the foodie scene is moving and well.
What do you do outside blogging?
Apart from being a blogger, I’m an assistant at Instant2Vie, a photo studio. I’m also a social media manager.
I manage brand image, from person to enterprise. I am freelance and work from my home; it’s not easy but I love this! I entered into the world of freelancing through my blog but I’m also an Agro-Food engineer as I mentioned above.
[bctt tweet=”I will know if a cocktail lacks an ingredient or if a step has been missed – Aida Bamba” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
You’re also a writer with a published novel, can you tell us more about this?
I wrote my first non-fiction book in 2005. The title is, “Les Revers de la Vie” or “The Reversal of Life”. To be honest, the publishing house has never paid me my rights even though the book is still on sale.
I decided to overcome this disappointment on my own and come out anew after the loss of my father last April. “The Reversal of Life” is available on Amazon Kindle.
Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner in Abidjan, where would you recommend people reading this go?
My suggestions for Abidjan are:
- Breakfast: Pause Café, Nougatine, Comptoir des Artisans, Bao Café, Couleur Café, Flow.
- Brunch: Flow, Nougatine, Norima, Pause Café, Radisson Blu
- Lunch: Le Kallisté, le Rallye, Salad and Sun, La Maison des Combattants, Norima, Le Bao, Le Comptoir des Artisans,
- Dinner: Wasabi, Oishi, Kanpai, Kallisté, Don Antonio, Hippopothamus, Norima, Mondial, Saakan, Chez Jay’s.
If I were to choose one restaurant, it’ll be Norima Restaurant Vallon. My menu options are; mini cowboy burger and buffalo chicken wings for starters. The Mongolian beef rice bowl for main and kiwi mojito or pina colada for drinks!
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