Jackson Free Press

Chitoes African Deli

1700 Terry Road, 601-965-6161

chitoescaterinservice.webs.com

In 2004, Rosemary Emmanuel hit the lottery. The U.S. Department of State's diversity visa program, which selects recipients on a lottery system, selected Emmanuel and her family from Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria.

Emmanuel, who taught 12th-grade science in Nigeria, believed America offered better educational opportunities for her children. With her husband, Emmanuel Nwokocha (Rosemary uses her husband's first name as her surname), already living in Mississippi, Rosemary moved to south Jackson with five of their children (two of the children currently live in Nigeria). Six years later, the couple opened Chitoes African Deli.

"I wanted to have my own business, and I love cooking for other people," Emmanuel says.

Chitoes is Mississippi's only restaurant specializing in West African cuisine. Emmanuel's favorite meal is a staple of West African diets: fufu and soup. She makes fufu made by adding hot water to yams and beating them into a doughy mixture with a consistency similar to mashed potatoes. Traditionally, diners eat fufu with soups and stews such as egusi, which contains okra or other vegetables, spices and sometimes meats.

Those uninitiated to West African food typically start off with a dish of jollof rice, plantains and fried chicken wings. Emmanuel keeps a few American comfort foods on the menu such as French fries, and chicken wings, tenders and nuggets. Some people have suggested that she add more American favorites like cheeseburgers to the menu to entice less adventurous locals. Emmanuel resists, refusing to sell anything in Chitoes that she would not serve to her own family.

"I don't eat burgers. I don't eat pizza. Why should I put it (on the menu)?" she asks. "Our food is good, has good taste. It's healthy. Since I was born, I've been eating the food. It's not food that if you eat it, you'll have a big stomach. That's what people don't understand. One burger will give you more calories than fufu and soup."

It should be an easy sell in today's increasingly health-conscious culture, but business is not always as robust as Emmanuel would like.

When her family first arrived from Nigeria in 2004, Emmanuel said businesses were thriving on her section of Terry Road and along U.S. Highway 80. Since Chitoes opened, the national recession has hit many local businesses hard. Some shut down, while others limp along and are barely hanging on.

"This is the only West African restaurant in Mississippi, and it's not doing well," she says, resignation in her voice. "Sometimes I feel that should shut it down and go find a job, but I know that if I shut it down, a lot of people would not be happy with me."

Emmanuel is committed to keeping her business in Jackson despite advice she's received to abandon the capital city. She is scouting locations closer to the areas many of her customers come from--Fondren, downtown or near the big hospitals on the State Street/Lakeland Drive corridor--for Chitoes' unique food.

"Jackson is a good place--no matter what they say on the news," she said.

Chitoes African Deli is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visit chitoescaterinservice.webs.com for a menu and additional information.