CityView Magazine

30 | May/June 2016 "Anywhere we go," Isabella told me, laughing, "she invites them to Taste of West Africa, and she tells them 'You have to try the empanada—spinach and beef—and you have to try the navy bean pie.'" While Isabella and Bridget are busy in the kitchen or greeting tables, Debo- rah and Lordia sometimes sit and do homework in the back. "Yes, we do homework in the back there. e little one, she wants to be a zoologist. She knows about every ani- mal, specifically animals in Africa," Isabella said, proudly. Isabella said Deborah is more into the science and math and wants to be- come a pediatrician. "So of course," Isabella says, "they're saying, 'You're coming with me, Grand- ma, because you have to cook for me.'" As for her own family, of course they eat at Taste of West Africa, but Isabella says her family enjoys going out to eat on Sundays aer church and trying other restaurants. ey especially like Sherefe or getting take-out from Circa. "We love to try other foods. We love food. We're foodies." On the front page of Taste of West Africa's menu it reads: Made with Love and Cooked from the Heart. eir food is fresh, local and homemade; it's au- thentic. But, even better, a wide variety of tastes and palates can be accommo- dated here. Gluten-free. Dairy free. Kid- friendly. Low-carb. High-fiber. Vegetar- ian. Vegan. Halal-friendly. e list goes on and on. "Most of our recipes don't call for dairy or gluten, so there is no wheat product. Rice, beans, nothing in that has gluten," Isabella notes. Plus, every single order is made fresh. When you order, they start cooking. "We cook all our soups on order. So when you ask for soup, we don't use broth, we don't use anything like that, we cook everything in house. We cook your vegetables, and we cook it fresh." For some dishes, like the Vivina- tor Guinea, a fresh free-range Guinea fowl marinated in spices, or any of their other "Indigenous Entrees," the menu reads, "Please, call ahead or allow at least thirty minutes, thanks."

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