Morou Ouattara
Encyclopedia
Morou Ouattara is an executive chef and former-owner of the now-closed Farrah Olivia restaurant in Alexandria, VA. Born and raised on the Ivory Coast
in West Africa
in a family with 33 children, he combines French, African and Middle Eastern cuisines. He has appeared on Iron Chef America
, and was a contestant on The Next Iron Chef
, but was eliminated during the 'Resourcefulness' challenge. Unlike most chefs, he uses his first name professionally, preferring to be referred to as 'Chef Morou' instead of 'Chef Ouattara'.
In 2002, Chef Morou moved to be executive chef at Signatures
and revealed his own style, a combination of French, African and Middle Eastern flavors, though reviews said in retrospect he restrained himself at the location; one reviewer said, "Watching Ouattara at Signatures was a little like watching a talented filmmaker turning out commercials, the brilliance of his work confined to discrete bursts." He remained there until it closed in 2005. After consulting and appearing on Iron Chef America
, Morou opened Farrah Olivia in the fall of 2006. Freed from the necessity of offering more conventional restaurant fare, Morou began to experiment and gained a reputation for being a brilliant, though inconsistent, chef.
scandal
. Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who owned the restaurant, frequently used his ownership of the restaurant to offer free meals and fancy fundraisers to sway lawmakers. Morou stated that Abramoff was a good boss who gave him a lot of freedom in the kitchen, but after the scandal was revealed, people with strong political ties did not want to be seen at the restaurant, for fear that people might assume they were being treated by Abramoff. The political 'scene' was more than fifty percent of the restaurant's business, and it was forced to close due to lack of revenue. The investment group Da Vinci Group http://www.davincigroup.com/davincigroup/index2.html started arrangements to take over the restaurant, however, in November 2005, Da Vinci pulled out of the deal, and the restaurant was closed.
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
in a family with 33 children, he combines French, African and Middle Eastern cuisines. He has appeared on Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
, and was a contestant on The Next Iron Chef
The Next Iron Chef
The Next Iron Chef, is a limited-run series on the Food Network now in its fourth season. Each season is a stand-alone competition to select a chef to be designated an Iron Chef, who will appear on the Food Network program Iron Chef America....
, but was eliminated during the 'Resourcefulness' challenge. Unlike most chefs, he uses his first name professionally, preferring to be referred to as 'Chef Morou' instead of 'Chef Ouattara'.
Career
Morou moved to Washington, DC in 1988 to study computer science. While at school, he worked as a dishwasher at Francesco Ricchi’s I'Ricchi. He stayed there for three years, and progressed through stations of the restaurant's kitchen. In 1991, he left I'Ricchi to work under Mark Miller at Red Sage, and rose to be executive chef.In 2002, Chef Morou moved to be executive chef at Signatures
Signatures Restaurant
Signatures Restaurant is the Washington D.C. restaurant opened by Jack Abramoff. Expensive and lavishly appointed with expensive memorabilia, Villeroy & Boch chargers and Christofle flatware, Signatures was used by Abramoff in coordination with his skyboxes and foreign trips to spend money...
and revealed his own style, a combination of French, African and Middle Eastern flavors, though reviews said in retrospect he restrained himself at the location; one reviewer said, "Watching Ouattara at Signatures was a little like watching a talented filmmaker turning out commercials, the brilliance of his work confined to discrete bursts." He remained there until it closed in 2005. After consulting and appearing on Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
, Morou opened Farrah Olivia in the fall of 2006. Freed from the necessity of offering more conventional restaurant fare, Morou began to experiment and gained a reputation for being a brilliant, though inconsistent, chef.
Jack Abramoff scandal
In late 2005, Signatures, the restaurant where Morou was executive chef, was closed in the wake of the Jack AbramoffJack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff is an American former lobbyist and businessman. Convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy, he was at the heart of an extensive corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine...
scandal
Jack Abramoff scandals
The federal investigations into Jack Abramoff and his political and business dealings are among the broadest and most extensive in American political history, involving well over a dozen offices of the FBI and over 100 FBI agents tasked exclusively to the investigation...
. Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who owned the restaurant, frequently used his ownership of the restaurant to offer free meals and fancy fundraisers to sway lawmakers. Morou stated that Abramoff was a good boss who gave him a lot of freedom in the kitchen, but after the scandal was revealed, people with strong political ties did not want to be seen at the restaurant, for fear that people might assume they were being treated by Abramoff. The political 'scene' was more than fifty percent of the restaurant's business, and it was forced to close due to lack of revenue. The investment group Da Vinci Group http://www.davincigroup.com/davincigroup/index2.html started arrangements to take over the restaurant, however, in November 2005, Da Vinci pulled out of the deal, and the restaurant was closed.
External links
- Morou.com - official website
- Farrah Olivia - Morou's restaurant