BMK Paris-Bamako

For as long as they can remember, brothers Foysseyni and Abdoulaye Djikine have been steeped in African culinary culture. Inspired by their mother’s cooking, the brothers decided to open their own restaurant, BMK Paris-Bamako, to pay homage to their Malianroots. The sibling-run restaurant serves West African recipes straight out of their motherFatoumata’srecipe book, available on their website, as well as a selection of traditional Congolese, Ethiopian, and Rwandan dishes, all prepared with fresh, seasonal products. Everything on the menu can be made vegan, a simple reminder, says Fousseyni, that meat is used sparingly in traditional African cooking, and is usually reserved for special occasions. Although the brothers rely on some imported ingredients to recreate the unique flavorsfound in their mother’s recipes, they are conscientious of their carbon footprint, working directly with farmers in their father’s native Gabou, a region in Senegal, to implement a carbon offsetting system