African spice

After studying Farrah Olivia’s brown wall decorated with arty white saplings and the ceiling with its cascade of dangling discs, you may describe the overall effect as “lush” fanciful” or even “exotic.” After sampling one of executive chef/owner Morou Ouattara’s creations, you’d probably use the same adjectives, adding “elegant” and “wildly fanciful.” Obviously, Chef Ouattara’s Alexandria restaurant kitchen is his playground, where he can create, adapt and dream about food as art.

The Ivory Coast native came to the United States after high school to join his brother studying computer sciences. To earn spending money, Ouattara decided to cook, starting as a dishwasher at Ristorante i Ricci in Washington.