African Restaurant Week Wants to Expand the Bay Area’s Palate

On a bright, sun-soaked Sunday afternoon last September, a crowd of 400-plus food lovers gathered in style at an Oakland nightclub to close out the Bay Area’s first ever African Restaurant Week. While the DJ spun AfroBeats, chefs and caterers representing various corners of the African diaspora passed out sizzling suya skewers and big heaping plates of jollof rice and whole grilled fish.

“People loved it,” says Jollof Kitchen’s Kemi Tijaniqudus, who co-organized the event. “I loved that all kinds of people came just to taste the different foods. It wasn’t just Africans.”

The annual celebration of African food returns to the Bay Area this week and will run from Sept. 12–21, kicking off with an opening night party at Parliament in Oakland on Sept. 12.

Similar to a typical restaurant week,