For several years now, she had been eyeing the corner of Sara and Belvédère Sud streets, imagining that it would be the ideal place to make her dream come true. When the space was freed of its last tenants, Rokhaya Cisse took the opportunity to set up La Sénégalaise, its very first restaurant.
As soon as you enter the door, the smell of spices fills the air and Rokhaya, Kya by her nickname which personifies her business, tinges the place designed to accommodate around thirty people with her own color.
Sparkling centerpieces, disco balls on the ceiling and bright colors, everything is there to reflect its equally sparkling personality.
Rokhaya Cisse holds a bachelor's degree in marketing and communications. Arriving in Quebec in 2016, she has lived in Sherbrooke for eight years. First an employee of a daycare center, she became known as a caterer for festivals, weddings and intercultural activities. Since December 4, she has been operating La Sénégalaise, with the help of two employees.
In his country of origin, Senegal, sharing meals is an integral part of the culture. “I have always had a passion for cooking. Senegal is the country of hospitality. In every house you go to, you eat. So we, from a young age, started cooking and I kept this love of giving food, of offering to people.”
The restaurant La Sénégalaise, located in Sherbrooke, offers traditional African cuisine with multicultural influences. (Ariane Aubert Bonn/La Tribune)
Senegalese cuisine is, according to her, particularly multicultural. “It’s vast. It's basic African cuisine, but it copies French cuisine a bit. We also have influences from Mali, Spain, Morocco… At home, the main dish is thiebou dieunewhich is a fish rice. It is recognized by UNESCO.”
What makes the very particular signature of its culture are the spices. According to her, it is difficult to find them all locally. “There are spices that we must bring […] It's spicy, but not spicy. I have very hot peppers, but I put them on the side,” she says, so that her dishes are accessible to everyone. For this same reason, its meats are also halal.
She concocts homemade juices with hibiscus, bouye (baobab fruit), ginger and tamarind.
“The secret of a restaurant is consistency. I cook myself to teach the girls I'm with, so they can cook something that tastes the same. I don't have a written recipe. I go there blindly,” says the restaurateur who thereby honors the tradition of the oral transmission of culinary specialties.
Her multicultural cuisine reflects her neighborhood, Ascot, she notes. This is why she chose it to open her restaurant, nestled between a secondary school and a residential area bringing together a population from all walks of life. “This is really where my clientele is.”
Various clients
It’s always a pleasure to see the students enter, emphasizes Rokhaya Cisse. “They are curious to see the menu, they ask questions,” she says, specifying that she reserves a discount for them. But they are not the only ones interested in his newly opened restaurant.
“There are many Quebecers who have gone to Senegal or Africa and they are happy that it is there. We are also a strong Senegalese community in Sherbrooke, they come a lot [au restaurant] and other Africans too. Everyone loves rice.”
As its services extend beyond the walls of its business, it also reaches those who go out to restaurants less through its presence at festivals and events.
Rokhaya Cisse chose a multicultural district, Ascot, like its cuisine with multiple influences. (Ariane Aubert Bonn/La Tribune)
Support familial et entrepreneurial
Rokhaya Cisse's family has supported her project from the very beginning. The mother of six children aged between nine months and nine years, she says she never had to ask for their approval. “My husband supports me in the whole project. And I have a daughter who encouraged me when I was still in the dream stage, who told me that we would find our restaurant and that she wanted to work with me. My children are very young, but they are very interested in cooking. My whole family supports me in the project.”
“She adds that in their free time, children like to get involved, putting labels and little ties on the packaging.”
Entreprendre Sherbrooke also supports her in starting her restaurant. “When I met Entreprendre Sherbrooke, I saw that it would take shape. We have everything in one place: a person who talks about regulations, one who talks about permits, another who talks about resources you can have, one who talks to you about contacts… and they support you on the path to financing if necessary.”
