Gourmandises Bantu introducing Thunder Bay to new flavours

A couple from Cameroon say the culinary business they've set up in Thunder Bay, Ont., is all about sharing culture through food.

Gourmandises Bantu, which has been operating out of the Regional Food Distribution Association kitchen since March, offers a once-a-week takeout service featuring the traditional African dishes that owners Danielle and Lionnel Ngue Djon grew up with.

"My mom taught me how to cook," said Danielle Ngue Djon, who takes the lead in the kitchen, whipping up dishes such as ndole and Bantu chicken, and favourites such as beignets — which can be likened to doughnuts. 

They're dishes that are still unfamiliar to many people in Thunder Bay, she said, and the couple wanted to share them with others. 

"So we said 'why not also offer an African restaurant?' Also our friends were always coming [over], and they were telling us, 'you guys need to do a restaurant.' So, we jumped ahead and said 'let's do it.'"

They found the perfect space to cook in the Regional Food Distribution Association, which rents its commercial kitchen to entrepreneurs, and started offering meals that can be ordered online and picked up on Saturdays. 

Opening a new business was "pretty scary," she said, but things have been going well. "Our first week was really amazing," she said. "I was really happy. I'm still happy. I'm getting more and more customers."

From Cameroon to Thunder Bay

Danielle and Lionnel are keeping busy, running the business on top of their day-jobs and raising two children.

It was work that first led Lionnel to northwestern Ontario after first moving from Cameroon to Quebec to go to school, he said. After completing his studies in geology, he got a job in his field in Thunder Bay.  Danielle came to join him, and they decided to stay. 

"When we moved here we had to decide, do we want to settle here or not?," Lionnel said. So we looked around and we decided we were really comfortable in Thunder Bay, and when we settled, our two beautiful kids were born here."

"They are part of this community."

Down the road, both Danielle and Lionnel said their dream is to have their own restaurant in Thunder Bay.

"So it's going to be a place where people can eat, where people can gather ... where people can have a lot of fun if they want to try something different," Lionnel said.