Award-Winning Chef Nyesha Arrington Explores Moroccan Culinary Traditions in 8-Day Journey

Born in California, Nyesha Arrington is a black and Korean woman with a strong taste for cooking. She recently participated in an eight-day trip to Morocco, during which she discovered Moroccan cuisine, explored the culturally rich regions of the kingdom such as Marrakech, Fez and the Atlas Mountains. "When I was in Morocco, I was able to work with bakers to learn these ancient world techniques that span thousands and thousands of years. And now I’m going to use those techniques for the dinners I’ll do in the future," she tells Essence.

According to Chef Nyesha Arrington, there is a similarity between Moroccan culture and American culture. "Everyone wants to gather around a table and share stories." The ability to bring vegetables to life in Moroccan cuisine is something that struck her. "You know, eating lots of different vegetables, tagines and couscous, that’s something from my background and what I’ve experienced in American cuisine. Not to mention hamburgers and hot dogs and all the American food that was once celebrated. I’m talking about a kind of new, thoughtful, neo-progressive cuisine where vegetables are at the center of the plate and can be an accent," she continues.

During the trek, Nyesha Arrington visited several markets. "I had a ton of incredible dates and spices and I really enjoyed a lot of incredible teas. And then between Marrakech and Fez, we stopped in the Atlas Mountains and literally did the most impeccable hike of my life. And then we visited this honey ranch and they had probably 25 different honeys that we tasted. And the most impeccable and rarest honey was this cactus honey created by the bees. So I bought a little bit of that. I got incredible olive oil from that cellar we visited."

It was an enriching experience for Chef Nyesha Arrington. She says she was lucky to rediscover the incredible flavors that her very first chef had taught her. "The very first chef I worked for, Danny El Malay, was such an interesting person. He was classically French trained. His parents - one was Japanese and the other Israeli, but he grew up in Morocco. When I worked with him, he taught me all these incredible flavors and it stuck with me, but I never really could find that kind of flavor memory throughout my cooking career until I got to Morocco."