By Theresa Moses
At the 9th GTCO Food & Drink Festival 2026, award-winning American pastry chef Camari Mick delivered one of the festival’s most culturally resonant masterclasses, transforming a familiar African beverage into a refined dessert experience that captured both innovation and identity.
Through her session, The Art of Making Sorrel (Zobo) Curd in a Tart, Mick demonstrated how indigenous ingredients can move beyond traditional consumption and become premium culinary creations within modern gastronomy.
Using sorrel; popularly known in Nigeria as zobo; she showcased the process of converting a widely consumed local drink into an elegant tart curd layered with flavour, texture, and artistic presentation. The demonstration immediately resonated with attendees, particularly pastry chefs, bakers, and food entrepreneurs interested in elevating local ingredients into globally appealing products.
Reinventing Indigenous Ingredients Through Pastry
Her approach highlighted an important shift happening within contemporary food culture: the growing recognition of indigenous ingredients as valuable assets in high-end culinary spaces.
For many Nigerian chefs and dessert entrepreneurs, the session offered more than technical pastry instruction. It presented a new way of thinking about local flavours and their untapped commercial and creative potential.
Traditionally viewed as a casual refreshment, zobo is deeply rooted in Nigerian food culture. However, Mick’s interpretation reframed it as a sophisticated ingredient capable of being incorporated into pastries, plated desserts, sauces, and fine dining menus.
Industry stakeholders at the festival noted that her masterclass reflected a larger global trend where culturally familiar ingredients are being rediscovered and repositioned through innovation, storytelling, and modern culinary techniques.
A New Opportunity for Nigeria’s Pastry Industry
For Nigeria’s growing pastry and dessert industry, her message carried significant relevance. Ingredients such as hibiscus, tiger nut, tamarind, coconut, and local fruits remain largely underexplored within upscale pastry culture despite their richness in flavour and cultural identity.
Mick’s session demonstrated that local ingredients do not need to lose authenticity to achieve global appeal. Instead, refinement, creativity, and presentation can transform traditional flavours into internationally competitive culinary experiences.
The masterclass also reinforced the role of storytelling in modern gastronomy. By drawing from cultural memory and heritage, chefs can create food experiences that resonate emotionally while maintaining commercial value.
The Woman Behind the Culinary Innovation
Camari Mick’s session ultimately stood out as a reminder that some of the world’s most innovative culinary ideas can emerge from ingredients already deeply familiar within local communities.
Described by Michelin as a “dessert doyenne” and by Eater as a “rising pastry star,” Camari Mick is an award-winning pastry chef based in New York City. She was named one of Food & Wine’s 2024 Best New Chefs, is a four-time James Beard Award semi-finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef, and was recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2024.
She refined her craft in some of New York’s most celebrated kitchens, including Le Bernardin, Thomas Keller’s TAK Room, and the Michelin-starred Musket Room, where she later became executive pastry chef and partner. Mick is currently launching L’Atelier Ébène, a bakery and brasserie exploring the connections between African Diaspora flavours and traditional French pastry techniques. Her work and story have also been featured on CNN, CBS, the TODAY Show, and NBC’s New York Live.
GTCO Festival as a Culinary Innovation Platform
The GTCO Food & Drink Festival once again reinforced its reputation as one of Africa’s leading platforms for culinary exchange, innovation, and entrepreneurship. With hundreds of exhibitors showcasing street food, beverages, desserts, packaged products, and ready-to-eat meals, the event created a meeting point for local creativity and international culinary influence.
This year’s masterclasses, ranging from wine culture and Japanese cuisine to fusion gastronomy and pastry innovation; highlighted a Nigerian food industry increasingly shaped by global collaboration and cultural reinterpretation.
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