Self-taught, spurred on by love: Senegal’s star food blogger

– Two platforms, two audiences –

Her background had already exposed her to cuisine from three continents, and she happily produces Asian, African, European and North American dishes for her audiences.

With an average 120,000 visitors a month for the blog, she now has her own app so people can easily browse her creations, ranging from chocolate-banana spring rolls to a plantain gratin.

Like many social media stars, her personal and professional lives have collapsed into one, and blogging and posting is a daily commitment.

Vignon-Vullierme’s audience falls into two camps “depending on the platform,” Olivier Vullierme says, pointing to their slightly different expectations.

“In Africa, we have a lot of partnerships between social media and mobile networks, so you very often have Facebook or Instagram free depending on your payment plan,” he said.

“Locally, people prefer to use social media rather than eating up their data on a blog with a lot of photos.

“She has a really interactive African audience on social media, and those more curious about cooking based in France on the blog,” he added.

He describes himself as “very proud” of his wife but says few realise the enormous amount of time spent creating recipes, taking photos and videos, and responding individually to fans — a must in the social media age.

– Eating healthily –

Vignon-Vullierme said her plan was never to “teach people how to cook”, but simply how to eat properly with inexpensive ingredients widely available.

She can now make her mother proud by throwing together an amiwo, a dish from Benin made with cornflour and chicken.

But, she says, her target are young city-dwellers, who “no longer have the time to spend three or four hours in the kitchen”.

And she has expanded into restaurant recommendations too, which offers a chance to hang up her apron and take a rest from the kitchen — but not for too long.