From the attieke to the suya, the newly opened Hajara’s Kitchen is serving authentic, mouthwatering African food her restaurant in Woodbridge, Virginia. The chef and owner, Hajara Sesay, 40, is already making a name for herself in the DMV area. In August 2023, she won DC’s annual Jollof Festival.

A culinary star is born: From home cook to community favorite

Hajara Sesay, 40, combines Sierra Leonean and Nigerian heritage in her African Restaurant in Woodbridge, Virginia

When she first migrated to the U.S. to join her husband, Hajara worked as a nurse’s assistant. However, the long hours away from home meant that the mother of five struggled to balance her job and find time for her family. In 2018, she made the decision to become a stay-at-home mom. This also allowed her more time to pursue her passion for cooking.

She cooked for her family daily and began preparing meals for her local mosque on special occasions. Before long, she was fielding orders from friends in the community; everyone wanted a bite from Hajara’s Kitchen. Her specialty? Suya, a thin-sliced spicy grilled meat that is a popular Hausa street food. The orders built her confidence, leading her to consider selling suya from home. She utilized Facebook and WhatsApp to promote her business. The more she cooked, the more her confidence grew, and her customers always wanted more. “Hajara, add jollof!” “Hajara, can you make cassava leaves?”

“I started with suya. With the help of friends on Facebook and WhatsApp, word spread quickly, and I received so many good reviews,” she said.

By the end of 2019, a year after she quit her job, she knew she had something special to offer. She registered Hajara’s Kitchen with plans to expand. But then, as the year rolled over, her dream took a surprising turn—the COVID-19 pandemic struck. What to do now?

Small business growing pains for an African Restaurant in Virginia

“The pandemic was a test of fate; it taught me to innovate and embrace new ways of reaching my customers,” says Hajara.

She was able to use food delivery services that typically did not accept home cooks but eased those restrictions during the pandemic. DoorDash and Uber Eats allowed her to operate Hajara’s Kitchen LLC from home at a time when many restaurants were shutting down.

When the shutdown ended, Hajara sought to expand. Finding space for a restaurant was no easy feat, and keeping the business at home was no longer an option. She received two citations from the county because pickups and deliveries caused congestion in her community. She either had to find a space or shut down.

The next best solution was a food truck. She found an empty lot and paid to park. While it wasn’t ideal, she managed to keep the business going. African food requires space for preparation and large pots. From winter to summer, she operated the food truck, perfecting her recipes and learning the business.

“The food truck was a stepping stone. It wasn’t easy, but it kept the dream alive. There were so many obstacles, but it also helped me achieve the feat of owning a restaurant.”

Eventually, a space became available. A pizzeria at 14506 Smoketown Road was going out of business. Hajara not only took over the space, she took over the recipe for the perfect pizza crust.

Hajara’s Kitchen the Nigerian Jollof Champion

Not long after moving into Hajara’s Kitchen on Smoketown Road, she was introduced to Ismael Osekre, the founder of the annual multi-city Jollof Festival. He encouraged her to enter the competition.

Hajara cooked 100 pounds of rice to feed thousands of festival-goers that summer. She represented Nigeria at the West African food competition, competing against cooks from Cameroon, Liberia, Ghana, and Senegal. After all the spoons and bowls were cleaned, only one jollof stood out—Hajara’s Kitchen’s Jollof. She garnered over 42% of the votes, while the first runner-up from Senegal received just 23%.

“Winning the Jollof competition was a proud moment for me; it was my first time participating in such an event,” she said.

African Food to the World but first the DMV

West African food is about much more than jollof, and Hajara’s Kitchen aims to be a cultural ambassador, sharing the best of her mixed Nigerian and Sierra Leonean heritage with the world. The restaurant’s top dishes include attieke and fried fish, fufu and egusi soup, and rice with cassava leaves.

“My dream is to make African food well-known and recognized, especially West African dishes. I want people who are not Africans to have access to African cuisine.”

Hajara has also created a world first—suya pizza, combining her Hausa specialty with her newly acquired pizza skills. The glowing Google reviews say it all: there are over 300 reviews and counting, averaging five stars.

As she looks to expand her business across the DMV area, Hajara continues to dream big. It’s not just about filling the restaurant; it’s about using African food to connect and celebrate the continent.

“African food deserves its place on the world stage. I want people from all backgrounds to experience and appreciate the richness of our cuisine,” says Hajara.

Hajara’s Kitchen is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For anyone curious about African food in DC, Maryland, or Virginia, head to Woodbridge for a taste of Africa.