Rōze Traore is an entrepreneur, media personality, and chef who specializes in curating unique dining experiences for clients and prestigious brands including The New York Times, AMEX, Veuve Clicquot, and Louis Vuitton.
As a child, Rōze Traore had to undergo open heart surgery due to a congenital condition, which required a significant amount of recovery time. During this period, he found comfort and solace in the kitchen which gave him rejuvenation and ultimately sparked his lifelong interest in the culinary arts. When he turned 18 years old, he enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu and went on to hone his craft in some of the world’s most renowned kitchens, such as Eleven Madison Park and The NoMad. In 2015, Rōze established his own private catering company, expanding into custom event catering in due course. Since then, he has established himself as a favored chef among high-profile individuals, counting famous names like Rick Owens and the late Michael K. Williams among his clientele. In November of 2022, he crafted a menu for a De Beers ambassador dinner hosted by Lupita Nyong’o, he also created dishes for 120 distinguished attendees at the Dior Guggenheim International Gala. With a height of 6’5″ and sharp cheekbones, Traore has also modeled for several well-known brands, including Cole Haan, Louis Vuitton, and Paul Stuart.
Throughout his professional journey, Rōze Traore has dedicated himself to aiding individuals from all socio-economic backgrounds, endeavoring to introduce the joys of consuming fresh, visually appealing cuisine to communities that face food insecurity. He is now merging food and hospitality and art with the launch of a brand new, all-inclusive artist residency.
Although Traore has faced challenges in bringing the vision for his eponymous hotel, La Fourchette de Rōze to life in Côte d’Ivoire, the new residency program is an even greater challenge. For this, he turned to friends for guidance, including the artist Kehinde Wiley, whose own Dakar-based residency program, Black Rock Senegal, served as inspiration. Following in Wiley’s footsteps, Traore is providing accommodation, studio space, food, artist materials, and transportation for three artists at a time, with a focus on those working in Africa. The first group of artists, Terence Ntsako, David Olatoye, and Victor Olaoye, are from South Africa and Nigeria and were personally invited by Traore. They will stay at the hotel until late April, after which three new artists per month will join the program on a rolling basis. Traore’s goal is to eventually open the residency up to applicants and create a hub for African creatives, driven by his lifelong personal interest in art.
