Inglewood Nigerian restaurant manages hard times through pandemic
The owner of a Nigerian restaurant in Inglewood is working to keep her restaurant open amid the pandemic after having to close her first location.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- A Nigerian restaurant owner has seen some hard times during this pandemic. Forced to shut down one of her locations, she now is trying to keep her dream alive in Inglewood.
Aduke Oyetibo is the owner and chef of Aduke Nigerian Cuisine in Inglewood. She said cooking is her passion and she loves making her dishes from scratch.
"One of the reasons why I came into this field to follow my passion is because a lot of people want fresh," Oyetibo said. "I personally love fresh, you know, so I decided that whatever I'm making that is coming out from this kitchen would be fresh. Fresh ingredients and fresh to the plates of our customers."
But she didn't always know her passion. Oyetibo studied agriculture in Nigeria but soon realized that her true passion was in the kitchen. She started catering in 2013 and eventually opened her first storefront on Pico in March of 2019.
"I have this joy in my heart when people say 'Oh my. This was, oh my goodness, we love it. Oh, it's so flavorful,' you know?" Oyetibo said.
She eventually opened a second location in Inglewood, but it hasn't been an easy road for Oyetibo. Like many small businesses, the stress of the pandemic and stay-at-home orders took its toll.
She said she had to close her first restaurant location on Pico leaving her with her only location in Inglewood.
"This is a family business you know, so a lot of lives depends on this," Oyetibo said. "Now, I know what it means. I would employ people to support as much as possible because our source of living, our source of livelihood depends on this."
Oyetibo said the Inglewood community has welcomed and supported her.
"They've been here and they've been coming back," Oyetibo said. "We have a lot of returning customers from Inglewood and we really do appreciate that."
Aduke Nigerian Cuisine is located at 1117 W. Manchester Ave. Ste. C, Inglewood, CA 90301.
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