Authentic African: Umkulu Kitchen

Meet Lucy Wonjah, the owner of Umkulu Kitchen and one of our Associate Participants! Located at the Market at Western Fair District, Umkulu Kitchen specializes in South African street food and other African dishes. Wonjah started the business herself, and it stems from her love for cooking. “It started with my mom and my grandmother, one came from South Africa, one from Botswana, and my grandfather came from Zambia,” she says. “I have this huge love for Southern African food, and ideas about these foods, and I want to share it.” Even the name, Umkulu meaning kitchen in Zulu/ Ndebele and other languages of Southern Africa, ties back to that love for Southern African food and the idea of the kitchen as the centre of the family.

Wonjah came to Canada around 25 years ago, but prior to that, she sold her food out of a food truck or caravan, which is where Umkulu Kitchen got its start. Soon after it began, business was impacted by HIV/AIDs, and Wonjah ended up giving food away more than selling it. While she was able to help people, with no funding, the business had to shut down, but after coming to Canada, she was able to start making and selling food at SunFest. “It built up through family and friends, the love for my African pies, and love for my food, then I decided to make it a business,” she says. “This market has been one of my favorite markets, because there is a homely feel.So it was a no brainer for me when there was space for me to start here.” Wonjah does her production at the Grove across the street from the Market and was part of the business incubator as well, so her ties to the Western Fair District run deep.

Wonjah calls herself a market lover, calling the Market at Western Fair District one of the best she’s been to. She says that through the market, Umkulu Kitchen gets all sorts of customers, from people who know all about Southern African food, to those who know nothing about it. “In other markets, you get the sense that you have to be in a certain income, or have a certain way of being to belong,” she says. “In this market, it’s not like that, everybody belongs.” Another big draw for her was that when people shop at the market, they’re supporting local businesses and local families. 

Wonjah partnered with the BIA not only to grow her business, but to help revive the area. She says that the revival of Old East Village and making sure business is booming in the area is one of her passions. “When we came here, it was vibrant, it had business,” she says. “The BIA is trying to revive OEV, they’re focusing on Old East Village.”

Umkulu Kitchen’s main focus is on Southern African street foods, such as pies, cured meats, and rices. Their big seller, their mini pies, come in several different varieties, including beef, salmon, chicken, biltong (cured beef), and bruvos, a Southern African style of sausage. In addition, they’ll begin selling more drinks soon, including hibiscus, passion fruit, rooibos, and fermented drinks like Kombucha. Wonjah says that by sharing this food with others, she feels like she can honour the memories of her family. “Within a short period of time, either due to HIV and AIDS or due to some political situation, I had lost almost all of my connections,” she says. “What I'm doing is to keep their memories, my family, who I lost, who I miss dearly, and who I want to represent with my food.” She adds that in the future, she wants to grow her business to show more people Southern African food and culture. 

Umkulu Kitchen is open Saturdays and Sundays during the Market hours.\

📍 900 King Street

☎️ 226-219-6154

🌐 https://www.umkulukitchen.ca/