Gastronome / Gourmand World Cookbook Awards ''Historic triumph for “Sublime Côte d’Ivoire” in Portugal!

For the first time in the history of the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, held in 2025 in Cascais, Portugal, Côte d’Ivoire won a special prize thanks to the book “Les Recettes de Mamie Akissi” by chef Prisca Gilbert.

The award was presented to the Ivorian culinary expert on June 18, 2025, at the Estoril Congress Center, during the Cascais World Food Summit. This recognition aligns with the current spirit of a “Sublime Côte d’Ivoire,” which declared 2025 as the Year of Gastronomy under the theme “Sublime Côte d’Ivoire, Land of Flavors.”

This achievement is expected to please the Minister of Tourism and Leisure, Siandou Fofana, who has developed the strategy and provided the tools to position gastronomic tourism as a promising sector and a strong cultural identity marker for the Ivorian destination. This award represents, in many ways, a global recognition of Ivorian culinary heritage, especially in a competition that brought together more than 200 countries.

Prisca Gilbert, listed for nearly a decade in Forbes Afrique’s ranking of the most influential personalities, and the recipient of numerous awards and nominations, is one of the leading figures of contemporary Ivorian cuisine.

She is known for her ability to elevate local ingredients with both artistic and modern flair.

She regularly contributes to the RFI program “La Vie ici,” where she shares recipes and culinary anecdotes from West Africa and beyond, highlighting ingredients like cassava, okra, and palm oil.

In December 2023, she opened La Maison Akissi in Abidjan, a welcoming space decorated with artworks. It serves as both a gastronomic venue and a training center for young interns. There, she promotes an identity-based cuisine, where ingredients like plantain and peanut paste are treated with the same care as a béchamel sauce.

Before that, she founded Le Mosaïc in Abidjan Plateau, where her dishes were crafted like paintings, blending visual art and culinary expression.

Her journey also includes training at the Paul Bocuse Institute in Lyon and a career as a traveling chef and culinary columnist. Prisca Gilbert represents a new generation of African chefs who combine creativity, transmission, and cultural pride.

A multi-award-winning chef, she has been passionate about cooking since childhood. After working in a communications agency for 13 years, she decided to turn her passion into her profession and embraced the exciting world of cuisine.