Prepare for some jollof rice. African restaurant week returns this Friday for its second yr in Philadelphia. From June 19 to 29, Black and African eating places will probably be providing offers and placing on pop-up occasions across the metropolis.
“It’s about supporting small companies,” stated Akin Akinsanya, the founding father of African Restaurant Week. In keeping with Akinsanya, the thought for the week “got here out of a way of tradition, of delight.”
Akinsanya, who’s from Nigeria, started the thought in New York in 2013 as an after-work occasion celebrating African delicacies. The mission quickly grew right into a weeklong occasion, increasing over the previous decade into cities like New Jersey, Maryland, Washington D.C. and even the Bay Space. This yr, round 20 Philly eating places are collaborating.
“It’s most likely about eight international locations in whole which were represented,” Akinsanya stated, itemizing Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Senegal, Jamaica and the Ivory Coast. “I’ve most likely tried each dish now. Doing African Restaurant Week additionally uncovered me to dishes from completely different elements of Africa myself.”
The objective is to each carry reductions to native foodies and draw consideration to spots across the metropolis, each outdated and new.
“It’s our first yr to take part in African Restaurant Week,” stated Lauretta Hassann-Nwani, proprietor of The Saints Restaurant and Lounge, which opened in Rittenhouse this April. “It’s actually simply vital as a result of it shines a highlight on Africa and the diaspora – delicacies that we as a society usually overlook.”
The Saints Restaurant and Lounge serves West African-inspired delicacies, however with a contemporary, elevated take. Later within the night, lounge vibes take over with cocktails and afro-beats.
“It’s extra heat and welcoming,” Hassann-Nwani stated. “It’s good for dinner or cultural date nights.”
Hassann-Nwani is a second technology immigrant from Sierra Leone, however her restaurant takes inspiration from completely different West African international locations. Menu objects embrace snapper with inexperienced curry sauce and puffed plantain, seared Lagos lamb with a signature jollof rice, and a bowl that celebrates completely different West African cultures.
Throughout restaurant week, The Saints is providing 10% off dishes and internet hosting particular occasions — together with a Sunday day occasion with brunch offers and a mixer on June 27.
“Our mission is to make African tradition really feel superbly introduced in an area the place it’s usually under-represented,” Hassann-Nwani stated. “It’s actually about celebrating excellence and simply creating an area the place each the diaspora and our neighbors within the metropolis can really feel extra linked.”
Hassann-Nwani is hoping that the week brings in new prospects to African eating places like her personal.
“This week actually provides us a collective second to showcase not solely our meals, but additionally our tradition, our creativity and contributions to the hospitality trade as a complete,” she stated. “We’re actually proud to be part of the African restaurant area, and in addition simply being in Rittenhouse, which generally you wouldn’t discover a West African restaurant in Rittenhouse.”
African meals already falls below an enormous umbrella, and a wide range of eating places are collaborating on this yr’s lineup, together with Eatwell Philly, Gou Restaurant and Gojjo. Additionally amongst them is New Period Delicacies, a fast-casual Nigerian eatery positioned on the decrease concourse at 1500 JFK. New Period Delicacies provides peppered hen with candy plantains and African shawarma. And for these trying to keep in, they’ve takeout and supply choices. It’s run by chef Olaoti Ajibola, higher generally known as Chef Tee.
Every restaurant will provide its personal distinctive offers, and Chef Tee will probably be that includes particular promotions and unique tastings in celebration of African Restaurant Week.
“I will probably be having a ‘dinner with Chef Tee’ session that will probably be hosted at Prime Fusion,” she stated. “Dinner tickets will probably be obtainable beginning the start of subsequent week. The theme of this yr’s pageant is an evening in Lagos. So, we’re making an attempt to carry the afro-fusion and in addition the genuine Nigerian delicacies to Philadelphia.”
What’s extra, New Period Delicacies is among the choose taking part eating places in a particular end-of-the-week pageant in LOVE Park on Sunday, June 29.
“On the pageant, we’ll have music, we’ll have a market, we’ll have a tasting competitors for who has the most effective tasting jollof rice,” Akinsanya stated. “We’ll have some native skills.”
Many African international locations have their very own tackle jollof rice. There are even pleasant rivalries, or jollof wars, between international locations on who makes the most effective model. The pageant’s style take a look at will carry a mini model of that passionate competitors to Philly.
Chef Tee is worked up to take part and hang around with completely different workers from African-inspired eating places round city.
“Philadelphia could be very massive, however I really feel prefer it’s a melting pot as nicely,” she stated. “So we now have so many various African eating places, from East Africa to West. Town is so compartmentalized that every one of us are simply in every single place, however this factor brings us collectively.”
On the occasion, Chef Tee will probably be serving up a spread of Nigerian meals, together with puff puff with a Zulu-inspired syrup, suya and abula — a standard Yoruba meal. Like Hassann-Nwani, she is worked up concerning the consideration that African Restaurant Week brings to meals like hers.
“I by no means even thought in my wildest dream that I might be a chef, not to mention a restaurant proprietor,” she stated, explaining she initially went to highschool for chemical engineering. “So, it’s nice to have the ability to do one thing and make the most of the platform that I’m given to show the tradition that we now have from again dwelling.”
Akinsanya echoed this sentiment.
“We’re in a position to see elevated meals site visitors, and on the finish of the day that’s a very powerful factor,” he stated. “When the eating places are completely happy and so they recognize the initiative, and so they’ve been in a position to see a bounce in the course of the week, that’s actually, actually satisfying.”
Try the total record of taking part eating places right here, in addition to extra particulars on African Restaurant Week right here.