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Born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Chef Fatmata Binta hails from a Fulani family of Guinean descent. Deeply connected to the culture, customs, and cuisine of the Fulani, the largest nomadic group in West and Central Africa, her culinary journey is rooted in her upbringing in a Fulani community and has propelled her onto the global stage.Chef Binta's gastronomic vision encourages guests to explore flavors and sustenance through the perspectives of Fulani women, celebrating the often overlooked ingredients of Africa. She has traveled extensively, collaborating with renowned chefs and exploring diverse cooking techniques and ingredients.Her achievements include winning the prestigious 2022 Basque Culinary World Prize and the 2021 Best Chef Rising Star Award. She also serves as a United Nations Ambassador for Responsible Tourism. In 2020, she founded the Fulani Kitchen Foundation, which aims to promote food security and empower women. The Basque Culinary World Prize enabled Chef Binta to equip her foundation with machinery to assist women in Northern Ghana with fonio harvesting, enhancing local supply and international scalability.Bloomberg highlighted her mission and vision, focusing on the ancient grain fonio, which Chef Binta champions as a solution to food security in Africa and beyond. She has launched global initiatives like the chef's challenge in collaboration with the FAO, encouraging the use of millets, including fonio, in kitchens worldwide. In April 2024, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Chef Fatmata Binta announced a new project aimed at supporting women fonio producers in Ghana. The project is designed to provide specialized training to approximately 100 women involved in fonio cultivation, enhancing their skills and boosting their productivity and income. Funded by the FAO under a Technical Cooperation Project, the training includes hands-on sessions on fonio production, harvesting, packaging, and accessing markets. In January 2024, Chef Binta partnered with the World Bank for the TasteOfChange Instagram series, where she shared her unique Fonio Jollof recipe.