Chef Joseph · Jean-Joseph Zephir
Our story
Bazla is the story of a man who left everything behind and found a home in Cotonou.
Haiti
Where it all begins
Jean-Joseph Zephir was born in Haiti. That is where his cooking has its roots: djon djon rice, pikliz, fritay, the flavours he now serves in Cotonou.
Saint-Martin
The neighbourhood
He grew up in Saint-Martin, in a neighbourhood where nobody goes hungry. "Nobody can be hungry in my neighbourhood. If someone is hungry, it means everyone is hungry."
France
Leaving it all
After years in France, he made a bold choice: leave everything to settle in Benin with his family. His dream was to go back to Haiti. Fate decided otherwise.
Cotonou
The first year
Arriving without knowing anyone, learning the ground, and doing it anyway. "If I had to do it again, I wouldn't do it that way." Today, he advises those who arrive after him.
Akpakpa
Welcome home
Three years later, Bazla is much more than a place to eat. "When we say we are Haitian, people tell us: welcome home. You can't explain it. You have to live it."
What we believe
Here, money can never stop a hungry person from eating. That was the rule of the neighbourhood, and it is the rule at Bazla.
"Me, I'm 100% Beninese."
Go further
- Haïtiens au Bénin : « Bienvenue à la maison »Être haïtien au Bénin : l'histoire du Chef Joseph, d'Haïti à Cotonou, l'accueil des Béninois et la naissance de Bazla à Akpakpa.
- Du Dahomey à Haïti : les liens entre le Bénin et HaïtiBénin et Haïti : la traite depuis Ouidah, vodun et vodou, Toussaint Louverture et Allada, la cuisine partagée. Une histoire commune.
- S'installer au Bénin : les conseils de Joseph, 3 ans aprèsS'installer au Bénin et à Cotonou : ce que le Chef Joseph a appris en arrivant de France en 2023, la première année, l'accueil et ses conseils.
- Restaurant haïtien à Cotonou : ce qui vous attend chez BazlaEnvie de cuisine haïtienne à Cotonou ? Fritay, riz djondjon, pikliz, bananes pesées : découvrez Bazla, restaurant haïtien à Akpakpa.
- Cuisine béninoise et haïtienne : ce qu'elles ont en communAtassi et diri ak pwa, akara et akra, gombo et kalalou, aloko et bananes pesées : les liens entre cuisine béninoise et cuisine haïtienne.
- Nationalité béninoise pour les Afro-descendants : ce qu'il faut savoirLa loi béninoise de 2024 permet aux Afro-descendants d'obtenir la nationalité. Conditions, preuves, démarches My Afro Origins, cérémonies.