É Kù ìjókò!
(“Welcome” in the Yoruba language!)
My name is ‘Yemisi Awosan, and I am the founder and owner of Egunsi Foods. I was born in Nigeria, raised in New England, and currently reside in New York. I’ve now lived in the U.S. longer than I have in Nigeria, and love all that New York City has to offer!
My mission has always been to bring people together around food to experience African flavors, which has been the driving force behind starting my own company! This has been a rigorous yet incredibly rewarding journey, and I couldn't be more grateful for this opportunity as an emerging entrepreneur in an extremely competitive industry. Egunsi Foods was born out of a passion for sharing my culture with people through the food I make.
My curiosity with food began at a very young age, as I was filled with fond memories of the food I grew up eating. I recall going to farmers markets with my mom and learning about farming as my family grew some of our own produce on our 10-acre land in northern Nigeria. I still love shopping at the farmers markets in New York since I can support local farmers and get back to my African legacy of farm-to-table credence.
As a teenager, I moved from Nigeria to Boston with my family. Soon after, away at college and missing my mother’s Nigerian cooking; I began recreating beloved family recipes — calling my mother for tips along the way. As I made new friends at school, I discovered cooking as more than just a source of comfort, but also the perfect way to share a piece of home with classmates who were curious about my culture. I started hosting dinner parties in my college dorm at Umass Amherst — introducing my peers (many for the first time) to West Africa’s nuanced, regional foods, and the meals of my childhood. I continued this tradition post-college, as a young professional in New York City, finding joy and forming friendships over my most cherished dishes.
In 2015, I decided to turn my passion project into a full-time career and left my corporate career as a retail buyer to launch Egunsi Foods. After conducting market research and working with multiple corporate catering contracts such as large-scale companies like Maverick Capital, Droga5, as well as on online platforms such as Kitchensurfing and Eatfeastly, I debuted my first line of refrigerated, packaged West African soups at Whole Foods Market in Harlem in 2017. Since then, I have expanded to several grocery retailers such as Park Slope Food Coop, FreshDirect, Amazon, and of course, the Egunsi Foods website.
The mission of Egunsi Foods is to highlight the diversity, quality, and flavor of the continent, focusing first on West African cuisine. As people, we express our love of culture in varying ways, through music, art, dance, etc. I have chosen to express my love through the food I make. I hope you continue to hang with me in this space, get to learn about Africa’s rich history, as I continue to express this through the lens of the culture I grew up in as a Nigerian Yoruba, but also as a Nigerian American, and how these amazing experiences have influenced and continue to influence the food I create. We have even more flavors to introduce in the upcoming weeks, and I am thrilled for you to try our unique and healthy flavors in a convenient, ready-made format.
I hope you will all join me as I celebrate and tell the story of my West African culture through my nutritious and authentic food. Let’s experience Africa’s flavors together!
Thank you so much,
'Yemisi Awosan 🧡
Egunsifoods CEO & Founder
← Older Post Newer Post →