By: Hayley Williams
When you think of Las Vegas you probably think of the hotels, casinos and the Strip. Partying, drinking and dancing the night away. Which isn’t far from the average tourist experience, Las Vegas is widely known as ‘Sin City’. Though I’m here to tell you that Las Vegas is way more than just one big party, it’s also a place where people from different backgrounds come to start their lives and inspiring businesses. One business I want to highlight and encourage you to check out is Nigerian Food Las Vegas.
Meet Chinedu David Ojiako, the hard working and dedicated 24 year old and owner of Nigerian Food Las Vegas, and your guide to Nigerian food and culture. From Nigeria, Warri, Delta State. Chinedu has been in the U.S for 14 years now and is on a mission to share his culture by the only way he knows how, through his cooking. Nigerian Food Las Vegas was formerly known as Nigerian Cuisine, owned by Chinedu and his mom before he bought her out, making him now the sole owner. When asked about his reasoning behind that decision, Chinedu talked about being passionate about people getting to fully experience Nigeria’s cuisine, all while setting up
his own future. Coming to a new country with the hopes of starting a successful business while sharing one’s culture is the epitome of the American dream and the reason Las Vegas is fortunate to have such a diverse community of local businesses. Chinedu’s aspirations in life resonate with millions of other immigrants in the U.S that are chasing the American dream. Now Chinedu’s reasoning for choosing Las Vegas is that it was a spontaneous decision, which truly captures the heart of Las Vegas and its natives. A place where anything and everything can happen. It’s the perfect setting for starting a new venture and building community, no matter what one’s background is. Las Vegas is the place for those who are adventurous and determined. It is rich in local businesses that have owners that come from all over the world.
Showing that this city has more to offer than the famous and well loved Strip. Going into the future of Nigerian Food Las Vegas, Chinedu spoke about wanting to franchise and is looking to expand to places like Arizona or Colorado. He truly is eager about the success of his business. Rightfully so.
When we got to speaking about the restaurant, Chinedu mentioned that he wears multiple hats when it comes to his restaurant. He is passionate about wanting to give his customers an authentic Nigerian culinary experience, so much so that he does the cooking, hosting, taking orders and even delivery for take out orders. With the exception of the cleaning lady that he hired, Chinedu made it his mission to take on all these roles to ensure the customers leave satisfied and come back for more. With all the hard work from this enthusiastic Nigerian born 24 year old, Nigerian Food Las Vegas is shaping up to be an up and coming hotspot for locals and tourists.
On his favorite thing about owning the restaurant, Chinedu says that he loves to share his culture, whether through the food or the music he plays throughout the restaurant. He loves the interaction of serving customers and beating their expectations when it comes to the food and service. Chinedu has the joy of sharing his culture while proving that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
Leading into the food aspect of Nigerian Food Las Vegas, Chinedu had no problem speaking so passionately about his cooking and the menu. As the head chef, his favorite dish on the menu doubles as his favorite to make. The white rice stew with fried goat or beef. Chinedu claims that it comes out perfect and delicious every time. He also recommends that for those trying Nigerian food for the first time to not over do it on the spice, especially if you can’t handle the heat. His advice is that on a scale of 1-10, 5 would be the simplest. Though if you’re like me and love all things spicy, you’re probably going to get a 6 or higher. And in the spirit of being adventurous, Chinedu recommends the okra soup, sliced okra cooked in bell pepper puree and that’s seasoned to perfection with your choice of meat or fish. It’s served with pounded yam or eba and though the slime texture may not be for everyone it’s definitely one everyone should try. With the way Chinedu speaks so enthusiastically about his cooking, the menu or creating the perfect order, one can see that he really cares about his work and the customer’s experience. Moving on to one of the pivotal roles with any local or small business is the community it builds or joins. When asked about experiencing the sense of community with the locals or other businesses, Chinedu spoke about collaborating with the neighboring businesses, a liquor store and a nail shop, and his relationships with the customers. When it comes to collaborating with the liquor store, they both use TikTok to create videos to promote their businesses. Then with the nail shop they both send customers to each other’s way and offer discounts to the ones referred to them. Showing the strong and supportive community of local businesses Vegas has to offer. On his relationship with his customers, Chinedu was ecstatic to talk about one regular that was on a streak of 52 days and a man that was visiting from Vietnam that ate breakfast and dinner for all of his 6 days there. Two people that don’t mess around when it comes to Nigerian food. All of this proves that people love to experience other cultures, especially through food and Chinedu is here to guide them through the Nigerian food-culture.
Wrapping up the interview, Chinedu mentioned that he has planned events coming up with the neighboring liquor store and has interests for Nigerian Independence Day. He also plans to lean into social media marketing more as it has contributed most to his growing business. With that being said, Chinedu is looking for help in that area and is open to communicating with those interested. Nigerian Food Las Vegas is located in The Historic Commercial Center District and you can find them on TikTok @nigerian.foodlv. So reader if you are ever in Las Vegas feel free to visit Nigerian Food Las Vegas, you won’t regret it.
