His name is Mamadou Savane. But you can just call him 'Sav.' Or Grillmaster. It's really up to you. "Ribs, filet, cornish hen, chickenÖIf I touch it, it will be good," laughes the good natured Chef Savane, though he's been known to this point more as the neighborhood chef, or Chef Dad, than as a restaurateur.
For years, Sav has been cooking up West African-inspired dishes for his kids Bangaly, 14, Diaka Grace, 10, and Kanny, 8; his wife, Rachel; and nearly all of his neighbors in the Victory Avenue area.
"We used to have a dinner get together with our next door neighbor every weekend. Then it turned into block parties," Sav said. "I would make 85-90 lbs. of ribs on a custom-built charcoal grill in the driveway. I grill even if it's snowing. Sometimes I cook with an umbrella."
For the 15 years Sav has spent in Lexington, he's been balancing the obligations of work and family, helping Rachel with her jewelry business while holding down his own job at UPS and helping to raise the kids-and cook what have become his famous recipes.
"Basically, the recipes are from home, but at home, believe it or not, men don't cook," Sav said of his native Guinea, West Africa, where he and Rachel met while she was in the Peace Corps. But those seem famous last words for the man who says cooking is "just natural."
And now, after years of thinking about opening a restaurant, Sav says the time is finally right. "It's going to be totally different, it's going to be food from home. Everything is fresh-we'll use a lot of local produce. The big secret is the marinade." The secret to the marinade? "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."
One thing Sav will share is a recipe for a classic dish, AttiÈkÈ, which is much like cous cous, but even more nutritious. It is made from cassava, a root vegetable. You can buy it at Nana's African Caribean Market (1301 Winchester Rd., (859) 225-1889).
Sav's Grill will open in September at Limestone and Maxwell.