Ask anyone from Nigeria what authentic food you should try and the consensus is usually jollof rice.
If you want to sample the savoury rice dish mixed with tomatoes and onions, you need to visit Naija Taste Canada on Notre Dame Avenue.
Najia Taste Canada’s restaurant and market opened six months ago under the name Naija, which means “Nigeria” for short.
Olasebikan Eletu is both the owner and chef, and she has made it her mission to bring Sudburians a taste of Africa, offering dishes such as pounded yam and rich soups like egusi and efo riron.
Eletu ran a food business and spent a lot of time feeding extended family in Lagos, Nigeria, before coming to Canada. Her mother taught her to whip up traditional dishes. She left Nigeria in 2019 to come to Canada with her son and daughter.
“Even when we lived in a Toronto shelter for almost a year, I prepared food for everyone there too. It’s what I do,” Eletu said.
Patrons would also recognize her from the Sudbury farmer’s market as she has been a regular there for two years selling West African dishes.
“Doing the weekly market showed me that there was an interest in Naija food,” Eletu said.
She said selling her food at Canada Day celebrations also proved there was a demand for a Nigerian restaurant.
She said customers come from all over the North to try her soups, meats and swallow doughs (which are swallowed and not chewed).
“They come from North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins and Manitoulin Island. There are no options in those cities, so they come here to get a taste of home,” Eletu said
Census data from 2021 shows the Nigerian population makes up one of the largest African immigrant groups in Canada.
More than 80,000 Nigerians were calling Canada home in that census with 115 reported in Sudbury.
Eletu said her favourite dish to make is efo riro, a vegetable soup with spinach. Efo riro translates to “stirred leafy vegetable” and includes onions and Scotch bonnet peppers.
She said customers who love their protein often like the grilled suya meat, kebab-style street snacks. Turkey is a popular option for customers as well.
Eletu said customers also enjoy goat meat as it is flavourful, and the goat meat pepper soup combines natural herbs and spices that many say is a cold weather necessity for congestion and sustenance.
She said when her daughter and son, Hamira and Sultan, who are both studying at the post-secondary level, come home, they want their favourites: meat pies and fried rice.
Personally, I can tell you the shrimp fried rice is a showstopper.
Eletu brings in goods from Toronto to sell to customers like beef, goat and mature chicken that is not tenderized.
She also offers a wide array of comfort food snacks from Nigeria, including corn snacks and peanut snacks.
“Naija is a means for people to try our food,” she said. “I have a sense of fulfillment when people learn about the Nigerian culture.”
In the future, Eletu’s plans include adding a licensed bar area with traditional Nigerian favourites.
Naija Taste Canada is located at 893 Notre Dame Avenue.
You can find the restaurant on Instagram and Facebook. Naija Taste Canada is open from 12-9 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, and Sunday’s and Monday’s from 2-9 p.m.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.