Food prepared by Pierre Thiam at Nok By Alara, a restaurant in Victoria Island district of Lagos. [Photo/AFP]

He thought cooking was for women－until he left his native Senegal to work in New York and climbed the ranks from busboy to chef.

Two restaurants and two books later, Thiam can claim he introduced a Western audience to African cuisine－and hopes to accomplish a similar feat in Lagos.

Samosa snails

As Thiam works to establish his restaurant, which opened its doors only in December, other young chefs are joining the growing Nigerian gourmet food movement.

On a Saturday in February, 12 guests gathered for a lunch club hosted by Stranger, a trendy hybrid store selling food, art and clothing that boasts an impressive collection of Japanese whisky and a careful selection of African coffees.

"Moving back here made me very excited just to have access to all these resources," says Imoteda, a 29-year-old recent graduate of the Cordon Bleu culinary and hospitality school in Britain.

"But the thing about Nigerians is that we eat for sustenance, we don't bother to make the food beautiful, you know we just toss it on a plate," she says with a laugh.

Yvette Dimiri, who returned to Nigeria a year ago to work in the oil industry, agrees.

Despite loving Nigerian food, Dimiri admits it can get heavy at times.