This post was eaten written by Dakar Eats contributor, Jonathan David.

It was as simple as talking on the phone to set up a time for Chef Omar, of Sama Chef Privé) to come to our house as our personal chef to arrange our catered Christmas meal. What a relief! I didn’t need to fight traffic to and from the restaurant, everything would be taken care of. All we had to do was invite two other couples for a delicious Italian dinner date at our place. One couple was originally from Lebanon, the other from Japan and France and we are American.

Chef Omar showed up an hour and a half before the appointed dinner time with his two sous-chefs. They unloaded their coolers and utensils efficiently and got to work. They took over our kitchen and set up our dining room table complete with tablecloth, settings, silverware, goblets and all the fixings.

Chef Omar was born in Senegal and has worked in Italy and Germany, most recently managing a tourist hotel in Dusseldorf. For 18 years, he lived in Europe pursuing his dream of becoming a top chef and now is working towards his goal to spend half the year in Europe and the other half the year in Senegal for the rest of his life. “I got tired of living alone,” says Chef Omar, “Now I can be with my Senegalese family half the year as I build my catering and personal chef business.”

We started with an appetizer of terrina pecorino, made from fresh crème and three cheeses. Walnuts and pears deliciously placed in a three-cheese concoction with radishes and drizzles. We moved onto the second course of gnocchi. This was a potato-flour drop made with pine nuts and drenched in a vibrant pesto sauce. There were black olives, diced tomatoes and sliced mozzarella alongside imported basil leaves that had been grown in Italy. (Incidentally, Chef Omar makes his own olive oil, about 25 liters annually, and imports Italian food products by air on a weekly basis.)

Next, we enjoyed grilled slivers of eggplant and zucchini dashed with garlic, red and yellow peppers, then garnished with Italian olive oil, capers, and mint leaves. Then we had perfectly cooked, tender rare filet mignon with marjoram, thyme and balsamic vinegar, accented with a caramelized sugar sauce.

Lastly, for dessert we had chocolate mousse on a bed of white chocolate sauce accented with fresh kiwi, strawberry and melon slices. The goute was finished off with one fresh black cherry. It was a perfect finish to a broad spectrum of flavors.

If you would like Chef Omar to come to your house, you can choose a menu consisting of fish, antipasto, seafood, gambas or other seafood with appetizers for 25,000-28,000CFA/person, depending on your selection. If you would like beef with appetizers and pastas it will run around 20,000CFA-23,000CFA per person, all-inclusive.

Chef Omar caters to private groups of two to eight people. Some of his specialties are fish, shrimp, seafood and a variety of pastas. He is very familiar with and understanding of dietary restrictions and special needs. He is able to do all vegetarian, gluten-free, pork-free, halal, diabetic and allergy-free meals customized to your needs. He prepares lunch and dinners for birthdays, anniversaries, business meetings or any special occasion – including just an evening at home with your family.

The only thing to add is an excellent bottle of wine, and for that we can heartily recommend the expertise of Africa Gourmet. Buon appetito!

Chef Omar Ngom
Sama Chef Privé
(Sama means “your” in Wolof, so literally “Your Personal Chef”)
Find him on Facebook here.
Tel: 771981264 or 776246121
English, French, Italian or Wolof