Inès and the Art of Reinventing Ivorian Cuisine
At just 24 years old, Inès Moh represents a new generation that brings heritage and modernity into conversation with remarkable sensitivity. Born and raised in Côte d’Ivoire, she now lives in Paris, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in architecture while gradually establishing herself on social media as a distinctive voice around Ivorian cuisine. On her Instagram account (@nessliciouus), each dish tells far more than a simple recipe: there is a strong aesthetic vision, an almost architectural attention to colors and textures, and a sincere desire to carry Ivorian gastronomy beyond its borders. For Inès, cooking has become at once a refuge, a personal language, and a space for creative expression.
A passion born almost by chance
Nothing initially suggested that cooking would become such an important part of Inès’ life. Growing up in Ivory Coast, she explains that she did not really cook. In many households, domestic life is shared among several people, and children are rarely involved in everyday tasks. It was only when she moved to Paris for her studies that the contrast became clear: suddenly, she had to learn how to manage an apartment, shop for groceries, and prepare her own meals.
At first, she avoided it altogether. Restaurants and delivery services offered an easy solution. Then Covid arrived, bringing with it the first lockdown. Restaurants closed, deliveries temporarily stopped, and the days suddenly felt empty. Not knowing how to fill the time, she turned to cooking.
Almost out of curiosity, Inès began recreating dishes she used to order. She looked up recipes, changed the way she shopped for ingredients, and started experimenting. Very quickly, she realized how much she enjoyed it: hours would pass without her noticing, and cooking gradually stopped being a chore and became a suspended moment in her day. Little by little, another dimension emerged: plating. She started thinking about how her dishes could look more beautiful and harmonious, playing with colors, textures, and presentation. As she likes to say herself, “we eat with our eyes first.”
She began sharing her creations on her personal account in 2020 before being encouraged to create a dedicated page for her dishes. In 2023, she officially launched @nessliciouus, her Instagram account showcasing her culinary creations. The response far exceeded her expectations: in less than twenty-four hours, nearly a thousand people had followed the account. The enthusiasm was immediate, but it also brought a deep sense of doubt. Faced with this sudden attention, Inès hesitated to post, questioning whether what she was doing was truly good enough. Eventually, the uncertainty led her to pause the account for almost two years.
It was only in 2025 that she finally decided to fully commit again — and just like the first time, the response was immediate. Feeling more confident, she posted her first TikTok video; by the next morning it had gone viral, reaching over a million views. That moment became a turning point, giving her the confidence she needed to continue sharing her world.
A cuisine between heritage and adaptation
If Inès highlights Ivorian cuisine today, it is first and foremost because it connects her deeply to her childhood. Yet rather than reproducing recipes exactly as they exist in their original context, she seeks to adapt them to the reality of her life in Paris.
In Abidjan, certain dishes require time, space, and gestures that are sometimes impossible to recreate in a Parisian apartment. Sauces can simmer for hours, plantains are traditionally braised over charcoal, and ingredients are often pounded by hand. In Paris, the rhythm is different: days are busier, kitchens are smaller, and daily life rarely allows these traditional methods to be reproduced exactly.
Rather than seeing this as a limitation, Inès treats it as a creative opportunity. She explores how these dishes can evolve, adapt, and interact with other culinary influences. Plantains traditionally braised over charcoal can be reimagined in the oven, while attiéké — the iconic fermented cassava semolina of Ivorian cuisine — can be paired with tuna tataki, creating an unexpected bridge between traditions.
This approach does not always meet unanimous approval. Some praise her creativity and boldness, while others believe traditional recipes should remain untouched. For Inès, however, modernization is not a betrayal but a way of allowing Ivorian cuisine to travel. She often points out that the sushi eaten in the West is not always the same as what one finds in Japan, just as the pasta served in France sometimes differs from that found in Italy. For her, these transformations simply reflect a cuisine’s ability to evolve, adapt, and connect with other cultures.
Where Memories become Cuisine
When asked which dishes best represent her roots, two very different images immediately come to mind, each carrying a piece of her story.
The first is almost a national symbol: foutou banane with sauce graine, a dish many consider a favorite among Ivorians. It requires time and patience and is often prepared on special occasions, much like the traditional Sunday roast in French families. Inès also remembers a remarkable moment that left a lasting impression in Côte d’Ivoire during the 2010–2011 electoral crisis: a woman cooking sauce graine outdoors was filmed on national television, and some viewers believed they could see the shape of a heart appear in the sauce. For a brief moment, that small detail became a symbol of hope and peace during a difficult period.
Alongside this iconic dish, Inès also shares a far more personal memory: pain brochette, a simple and delicious sandwich sold outside schools, made with a baguette filled with grilled skewers and condiments. It was her favorite after-school snack, the one all the students would rush to buy before heading home. Even today, it is one of the first things she looks for whenever she returns to Côte d’Ivoire, as if certain flavors had the power to instantly bring childhood back to life.
But in Inès’ life, cooking is more than a link to memory — it has gradually become a refuge. Between demanding architecture studies and the fast pace of life in Paris, cooking offers her a suspended, almost meditative moment. When she is in the kitchen, she explains, time seems to slow down: she focuses on gestures, textures, and colors, and hours can pass without her noticing. What once began as a daily necessity has become a deeply calming space, a way to reconnect with herself in the midst of a busy life.
Bringing African Gastronomy into the spotlight
Beyond her personal practice, Inès also reflects on the still limited presence of African cuisine within the more editorial and gastronomic culinary world. At the same time, she is encouraged to see that things are slowly evolving. African cultures are attracting growing curiosity, and gastronomy has become one of the most powerful ways to spark interest in discovering a country.
For her, food is a powerful cultural window : it tells stories, awakens curiosity, and opens the door to deeper exploration. Yet this visibility must remain balanced. She hopes that the growing popularity of African products will not lead to excessive price increases or a form of cultural appropriation disconnected from their origins.
In this context, Inès believes that Africans and people of African descent also have an important role to play in promoting their own culinary heritage. Showing that African gastronomy can be refined, creative, and contemporary is, in her view, essential for changing perceptions. She often cites the work of chef Mory Sacko as an inspiring example of how tradition and modernity can be beautifully combined.
The Art of Hosting, according to Inès
For Inès, cooking never stops at what appears on the plate. It naturally extends to the atmosphere, the table, and the rituals that surround the meal. Among the moments she loves most is the simple act of returning home from the grocery store: music playing softly in the apartment, ingredients carefully arranged, pasta poured into glass jars, vegetables and meats organized neatly in their place. A quiet, almost meditative moment, already full of promise.
Her ideal moment around a table resembles a scene she would slowly prepare over several days. A Sunday evening dinner with a mix of friends and family. The table would be set gradually throughout the week, like composing a small stage set — first the tablecloth, then candles, then flowers — watching the space slowly come together. The dishes would be plated individually, presented with care and delicacy. The atmosphere would be warm, softly lit with dim red lights, almost enveloping.
Bonus: Inès on Escape
When asked what kind of trip would truly help her reconnect with herself today, Inès imagines something very different from the holidays she has known so far. She dreams of a calm and restorative escape, far from tightly packed schedules and days filled with constant activity—a place where she could simply slow down, visit a spa, enjoy massages, and take time for herself.
Still, there is one experience she would love to include in her future travels: cooking classes with locals. Learning the gestures of Moroccan, Indonesian, or Italian cuisine, understanding a place through its recipes and ingredients. Once again, it is about traveling through the senses — and continuing to weave that deep connection between culture, food, and sharing.
Follow Inès on Instagram to discover more of her cuisine and travel along the West African coast.
