AfroGourmets: Building Community Through Culinary Experience
For Awa and Ibrahima, founders of AfroGourmets, food has always been more than just a meal. It’s a connection to culture, a platform for education, and a bridge between communities. From Senegal to Morocco and now rooted in Thunder Bay, the couple has brought their deep passion for hospitality, rich culinary heritage, and commitment to community to a new home, creating AfroGourmets as a space where food becomes a shared language of joy, identity, and inclusion.
AfroGourmets offers more than private dining or pop-up events—it creates immersive culinary experiences that invite people to explore African and global cuisines while connecting deeply with the place they live. Their offerings include mobile cooking classes, chef-led dinners, school and corporate workshops, and curated events that showcase both cultural traditions and local food producers. Whether hosting a cooking class for youth, partnering with local chefs for a community event, or preparing a Senegalese stew made with ingredients from Thunder Bay farmers, AfroGourmets builds community—one plate at a time.
At the heart of their work is a strong belief in collaboration. AfroGourmets proudly works alongside Thunder Bay’s chefs, farmers, artisans, and producers, integrating local products into their menus and events while offering increased visibility and new revenue opportunities to fellow food entrepreneurs. Events are intentionally designed to highlight the talent and abundance in the local food system, creating a model where cultural celebration and regional economic development go hand in hand.
Their upcoming signature event, the All White Picnic, is set to become a seasonal highlight—a beautiful outdoor dining experience that brings people together across backgrounds to share in food, music, and connection. AfroGourmets also plans to launch youth cooking workshops and continue partnering with schools and community groups to foster culinary education, cross-cultural understanding, and food confidence for the next generation.
Their model is not only community-driven but also environmentally conscious. By using a mobile, low-infrastructure approach and adopting low-waste practices—including compostable packaging and food recovery efforts—AfroGourmets integrates sustainability into every aspect of its operations. Their commitment to sourcing local, seasonal ingredients also supports Thunder Bay’s farmers and reduces the carbon footprint of their meals.
The Fair Finance Fund is proud to support AfroGourmets through values-aligned financing that will help the business scale its impact. The loan will support the purchase of mobile kitchen equipment, the rental of commercial kitchen space, and the development of brand and marketing materials to increase visibility and reach. It will also help fund community-based events such as the All White Picnic and strengthen collaborations with local farms and food artisans. With this support, AfroGourmets is building not just a business, but a vibrant, inclusive, and resilient food community in Northern Ontario.
