Jambo African Cuisine says 'hello'

Kathy Jennings | Thursday, March 12, 2015

Jambo African Cuisine

Frida Boyd came to America believing she would get a job working in a hotel. Then she found out they paid $5 an hour.

She turned her sights on nursing and worked there for many years. All along, though, she knew she wanted to do something more. She wanted her own business that would make use of her educational training in management.

On Jan. 21 that became a reality when Boyd opened Jambo African Cuisine at 6541 Stadium Drive, the former location of Marta's Find Foods.

Boyd came to the United States from Tanzania in 1999. An uncle living in Kalamazoo helped her make it her new home. She tried Canada but found she didn't like it as much as Southwest Michigan. So she returned.

Now she has the only African restaurant in Kalamazoo. The dishes served at Jambo African Cuisine draw on the culinary traditions of her home country, which is influenced by a mix Arab, Middle Eastern, and Indian flavors.

"You can't compare it with other African cuisine" because of the many influences on the East African country's dishes, Boyd says.

"I use a lot of spices, but it is not hot spicy," Boyd says. For those who do like it hot, though, she will turn up the heat as requested.

Some of the most popular foods amongst guests are the samosas, chapati (flat bread), nyama (a beef dish), chicken marsala, and the homemade hot sauce.

Since the 1,400-square-foot restaurant opened at the end of January, Boyd says she has been working to build the clientele. It seats just over 40 people and including herself, the restaurant employs three people.

Finding the right location was difficult. She thought she had one, but it went to another business. "I cried," Boyd says. "But this is better."

A silent partner from Michigan's east side, helped her open Jambo African Cuisine. After remodeling the space that had not previously been fitted for a restaurant, she was ready to open the doors. A lot of what she needed to know she learned from the Michigan Small Business Development Center, she says.

Naming the restaurant took some time, too. She considered many names that would say "Africa" to potential customers, but most of them, like Safari, were already taken. So she settled on Jamba, which means "hello."

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m to 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Frida Boyd, Jambo African Cuisine