La Fourchette de Rōze is Rōze Traore’s New Boutique Hotel
Rōze Traore was born in Washington, D.C., and spent parts of his early childhood in Côte d’Ivoire, where his family is from, before living in Seattle, Paris, London, and New York. The multitude of cultures and environments piqued his interest in things like food, fashion, and art. He became a Le Cordon Bleu–trained chef and a signed model, worked in Michelin-starred restaurants like The NoMad and Eleven Madison Park, and became a caterer for athletes, brands, and organizations. Most recently, he has curated menus for events hosted by luxury clients like Vacheron Constantin, De Beers, and Dior—a meal that took three months to create, inspired by Alex Katz’s artwork at the Guggenheim.
Over the past few months, Traore has been back in Cote d’Ivoire, and not just in a kitchen. Alongside his mother, a fifty-fifty partner, he has opened his first-ever business—a boutique hotel named La Fourchette de Rōze in the Grand Bassam area. Inside, six rooms, fifteen beach bungalows, and a handful of lounges complement three restaurants that offer quintessential African cuisine, grilled dishes, and his personal chef’s selections. It also hosts an artist-in-residency program, which is uncharted territory for Traore. Between training new employees, contributing recipes to The New York Times, and working on upcoming brand collaborations, the New York–based chef spoke with Whitewall over Zoom about why reconnecting with his roots was monumental in creating impact and a legacy.
Photo by Austin Augie, courtesy of Rōze Traore.
Visitors at La Fourchette de Rōze will Find the Best Service in the Country
WHITEWALL: What has returning to Côte d’Ivoire to establish a business been like?
RŌZE TRAORE: What’s unique about this place is that I grew up here for a certain amount of time, my parents grew up here, their parents were in the government here, et cetera. Our soul has been in this soil for so long. To see that the two owners are here is another beautiful thing.
But that energy of getting things done and doing this professionally—like the basics we have in America or Europe of being on time and prepared—needs to be reinforced here, because my market is more than just Africa. People come who have been around the block. I want them to know we take this seriously—order, organization, communication, full service. Just because you’re here doesn’t mean things can “just happen.” I like things to be crisp. I’m not looking to make this a Michelin place, but I want the best service in the country.
WW: Your mom is the co-owner, and you’ve mentioned being inspired by her work ethic. Does your sense of determination come from her?
RT: One hundred percent, plus more. She’s a lion. She’s so courageous. I always knew about her work, but I thought, “Great, but I have a career for myself, and want to work on my things.” I wanted to build my name doing what I wanted to do. She backed off for years and years until this felt right.
This is also a huge accomplishment because it’s a male dominant country. They’re shocked a woman is my partner. She’s here day in and day out with me, and it’s a beautiful thing to see. I’ll always put her first as the owner and do it on purpose, because they need to understand your gender doesn’t matter. She has run laps around me and continues to.
Photo by Austin Augie, courtesy of Rōze Traore.
Rōze Traore’s Hospitality Concept Features an Artist Residency
WW: Why did you want to open an artist-in-residence program?
RT: At first, it was because I saw my friend Kehinde do it in Senegal. There were beautiful results. For at least this first one, I wanted to do it all—covering their flights, food, lodging, and materials—out of my own pocket. It wasn’t until a week before I got here that I was buying flights, and just from Nigeria to the Ivory Coast, they were 800 dollars. It’s only an hour and 40 minutes! I was shocked. In Europe, you can go almost anywhere for 100 bucks. You’re able to understand your brother, sister, community, and share knowledge. I noticed you couldn’t do that here in Africa. When I thought more about it, I wanted it to be a meeting ground for different cultures to unite and create. I didn’t want resources holding that talent back or refraining them from creating that masterpiece.
WW: Over the summer, you hosted five artists—Joseph Munyao from Kenya, the twins Franck Erzan and Cedric Tchinan from the Ivory Coast, Taylor Simmons from New York, and Sibusiso Ngwazi from Cape Town. What have you learned from having artists at the hotel?
RT: At the dinner table, we’ve learned so much from each other. I’ve had beautiful moments getting to know them, outside of just enjoying their artwork. We are becoming a community from ground zero. The hotel is a living cell that is evolving, built off those contributing to it through their creative work. Their artwork will live in the hotel, and it will gradually become a larger collection over time.
My whole career, I’ve been focused on me, me, me. I didn’t find it to be a negative thing, but I’ve been selfish. I feel it’s right for me to give more, everything I’ve always done has been for me. My main goal is to leave an impact and have a legacy that’s powerful. You don’t just do that by doing you, you, you.
Photo by Austin Augie, courtesy of Rōze Traore.
