The #JollofMarket organised by @tfeafrica & @thinkmahogany was a seriously successful event from my perspective as a foodie and also as a judge for the Jollof cooking competition. For a maiden event...WOW! I have been to many food related events but this actually surpasses the rest.
It wasn't simply a food market to experience the different foods (Jollof and grills mostly) and drinks ( exotic cocktails, palmwine and fresh juices) but with regards to content it was a fresh breath of air of mixing entertainment with eats. FUN, FOOD, FABNESS! Although the slight drizzle threatened to shorten the event, the trooping in of people never ceased. Rain or no rain, Jollof had to happen.
Decor was balanced between the modern & rustic, from wooden crate chairs to wooden pallet vendor stands. What else would you expect when Debrah-Jane is one of the event organisers? 😆
I totally love my JOLLOF IS BAE tee from Kayobi! Imagine how extra-special I felt when I realised the organisers were in it as well..too cool guys! I was trying hard not to show it though 😜.
The location; Serallio, was also perfect for the event as it created an intimate feel as the crowd grew thicker. Parking however was 🙄 thanks to the narrow streets of Osu.
Without a question I had to try out one of the Jollof vendors and being a strong supporter for cultural maintenance I chose this vendor who was serving Jollof with cooked local beans, grilled chicken and spagetti all served in the waakye leaves. That just killed me 😜. Most vendors offered hungry customers a sample cup to taste as a deciding factor. But some weren't friendly on that.
The crowd at the #JollofMarket was the usual crowd one often sees at most open air markets which for the past 5 years are the choice of hanging out for the young urban cool peeps with dosh to spend. A constant flow of trending hip-hop with splashes of old-school RnB's music created an atmosphere for not just food tasting and swirling drinks but also a body-shaking party arena.
The Jollof competition was made up of four contestants; three females and one male cook. I was nervously excited and felt all Gordon Ramsayish as I joined three other judges to crown the Jollof King or Queen. Each contestant were given the choice of various ingredients to pick from including the type of rice which was sponsored by Fortune Rice. So one could decide to choose either tooloo beefi ( salted goat/beef meat pieces) or herrings for a more unique flavour.
It was also family-friendly with candy floss, popcorn and face-painting for kids. Here's me wishing I had gone buck-wild on that candy floss 😫.
At the end of the Jollof competition, one winner emerged and it was Afiyo! Her Jollof was incredibly flavourful thanks to the tooloo beefi she used as well as a couple of dry herrings.
Jollof Queen Afiyo and I in a selfie moment.
Two claps for the event organisers for bringing together millennials in the name of Jollof and other food accompaniments 👏🏾👏🏾.
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Were you at the #JollofMarket? What did you think? Do post your thoughts in the comments box, would love to know what you thought.