As much as we might like to think we’ve eaten our share of international food, many of us never venture beyond the typical Italian, French, Mexican, Chinese and Middle Eastern cuisines found in the Columbus area.
We might sample Thai, Vietnamese or something more exotic if we can find it. Depending on where we dine, though, we might be eating an Americanized version of those cuisines.
That won’t be the case on Sept. 11, when Nigerian chef Tunde Wey takes his pop-up restaurant, Lagos, to the Kitchen in German Village.
“Africa is a mystery to a lot of people — not just in Ohio but even when I cook in New York,” Wey, 32, said during a recent interview.
He will prepare more than 10 dishes encompassing the flavors of his homeland.
He promises guests plenty of surprises, distinct spices and a little heat.
The dinner, to be served family-style, will include several vegetable dishes, fish, lamb, Cornish hen and goat.
Because most diners haven’t had Nigerian food, Wey said, they arrive with no expectations and typically leave having enjoyed the uniqueness of the experience.
“People like the food. It’s not something that people are used to; it’s just different.”
The cuisine of the west African nation includes stewed vegetables, curries, fermented seed pastes and palm oil.
The combination of Nigerian ingredients and cooking techniques, Wey said, draws out the distinct flavors.
“It’s like a Kendrick Lamar album,” he said, referring to the hip-hop artist. “You have to listen to it and pace yourself before you can make an opinion.”
Wey moved to Detroit 15 years ago on a student visa. He attended various community colleges but didn’t earn a degree. Instead, he began working in restaurants, eventually co-founding the Revolver restaurant.
After a time cooking American fare, he became homesick for his own cuisine — and determined to find a way to give “food that I grew up eating” to the American masses.
Inspired by a chef who had traveled the country to cook in all 50 states, Wey gave up his ownership of Revolver in 2014 and hit the road with Lagos, named after his hometown.
After several months of travel, he settled in New Orleans and opened Lagos inside the St. Roch Market food hall. He closed it this summer when he decided to take to the road again.
During the past year, his Nigerian fare has attracted the attention of diners and food critics nationwide.
He himself attracted the attention of immigration agents, whom he encountered this year during a stop in Texas. Discovering that his student visa had expired in 2007, they detained him.
Wey was released on bail pending a 2017 hearing before an immigration judge.
The ordeal, broadcast in a story on NPR, actually served to increase Wey’s profile and garnered him even more invitations to cook — including one from Columbus event planner Molly Ryan, co-owner of MStyle.
Ryan, who has spent time in Africa, reached out to Wey after hearing the NPR story, hoping he might consider traveling with Lagos to Columbus. After he emailed back, she organized the event at the Kitchen.
Although his future is uncertain, Wey plans just to keep cooking.
When he finishes his latest road trip, he intends to return to New Orleans to open a bricks-and-mortar Lagos in the fall.
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