FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 25, 2021 • BLACK HISTORY MONTH • THE QUEENS COURIER 31
Black History Month
Astoria West African shop and restaurant
off er community a chance to ‘share heritage’
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
aacevedo@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Beatrice Ajaero always knew she wanted
to be a food entrepreneur and use food
as a vehicle to share heritage with her
community.
And that’s exactly what the small business
owner is doing with her newly
opened businesses, Ibari and Nneji, that
center West African fi ne goods and cuisine.
“Aft er my studies and aft er learning a
lot about Astoria through my siblings, I
thought that the history of heritage
sharing here made it a
good fi t for our fi rst brick
and mortar,” Ajaero,
a 29-year-old native
of Roosevelt Island
whose family is
from Nigeria, told
QNS.
Th at fi rst brick
and mortar is
Ibari, a shop located
at 26-16 23rd Ave.,
which Ajaero opened
in September of 2019,
aft er obtaining a law degree
and an M.B.A.
Th e small yet elegant
space — its storefront
adorned with two pale yellow signs, one
with the tagline “Bring the world home”
— has an array of items, all meticulously
curated by Ajaero.
Th ey carry skincare items like their
widely popular raw shea butter and black
soap (for $4 each); food items like chocolates,
Photo courtesyv of Nneji
Nneji’s Yassa soup
teas, oils and spices; clothing items
like jewelry, colorful handbags (designed
Beatrice Ajaero is the owner of Ibari and Nneji in Astoria.
by Ajaero’s mother
and stitched by
a Colombian bag
maker that so happens
to be their neighbor),
textiles and traditional garments;
as well as other items
like musical instruments.
Ajaero has a network of
distributors who import
the items she sells, most of which come
from West African countries like Ghana,
Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mali, Niger and
Morocco and East African countries
like Sudan and Egypt. Th ere are also
items from Middle Eastern countries like
Turkey and European countries like the
Czech Republic.
Th e name Ibari comes from Nigeria’s
Photos by Angélica Acevedo/QNS
Igbo language, meaning “joyful exuberance”
or the “height of joy,”
according to Ajaero.
Th e store, in many
ways, is an extension
to their vendor
space on Roosevelt
Island’s Farmers
Market. Ajaero
said they still consider
that space
their fl agship, as
they oft en showcase
their new items there
fi rst and get feedback
from community members.
“Our market is central
to our business,” she said.
“We get the raw feedback
from our neighbors who tell us very
directly how they feel about every part
of the business. So we’re very responsive
to them, because they’ve helped us grow
and be here.”
It was because of some of that feedback
that she then decided to open Nneji, a
small restaurant with bright orange walls
on the inside that lends itself perfectly
for takeout and delivery, located at 32-20
34th Ave. — just three stops away from
Ibari on the N train.
Ibari’s off erings include some shelf and
tablefood options, but customers were
looking for more substantial meals. At
Nneji, they serve a variety of deliciously
comforting West African soups (many of
which are vegan) for $8, including Egusi,
a Nigerian soup made with melon seed,
spinach, tomato, onions and a blend of
savory spices, or Yassa, a soup made of
marinated onions in mustard, black pepper,
Photo courtesy of Nneji
Nneji’s jollof rice
bay leaf and their house blend of
spices.
Other fan-favorites include the West
African red stew with meat and spicy goat
stew. Th e menu includes grains like jollof
rice, fonio and garri to complement the
soups, as well as baked goods by Astoria’s
Rose & Joe’s Italian Bakery.
Nneji also off ers products such as glass
packaged savory sauces, oils, international
spices and grains.
Ajaero noted that they created their
menu, much like Ibari, to express the
idea of “Africa and beyond” or the ways
in which shared food traditions connect
people in all parts of the world.
“Th ere are items that we hope show
people familiar pieces in their cultures,”
Ajaero said. “Oil, spice, tea — these are
things that we can see in just about every
culture. It helped us sort of remember
how small the world is.”
Th e name Nneji is another Igbo term,
which can simply mean “mother,” but for
Ajaero, it more accurately translates to
“May I never be disconnected from my
maternal heritage.”
Th e sentiment refl ects the storefront
sign’s tagline: “Africa. Food.
Kindred.”
View this post on
Instagram
A post shared by
IBARI (@ibari.nyc)
While Ibari was
already open once
the COVID-19
pandemic hit, Nneji
opened in June of
2020, in the midst of
the unprecedented time.
Ajaero said that while it
was a tumultuous period
that required many
adjustments, a core team
of herself and three family members
helped the business weather the storm
of the pandemic “by keeping operations
lean.” She also cites the Small Business
Administration’s resources and guidance
as a great help.
But the business woman places more
importance on her community and family’s
well-being, particularly during the
height of the pandemic when they made
sure their network was safe and fed.
Now, Ajaero is grateful for the support
she’s received from the immediate community
— from customers to partnerships
with fellow businesses and advocacy
groups like Queens Together.
“From day one, so many people came by
and just deposited a quarter in our growth
and welcomed us to the neighborhood,”
she said. “Th ey really gave us so much
positive energy to go forward.”
To learn more about Ibari and Nneji,
visit their Instagram page @ibari.nyc or
their we Ibari has a wide variety of items for sale. A look inside of Ibari in Astoria. bsite at nneji.business.site.
link
link
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
