Lasgidi Cafe teaches Phoenix how to cook Nigerian cuisine

The dishes are bright in both color in flavor: deep oranges and bright reds on the eyes, nuanced and filled with spices to taste. Chef Patience Ogunbanjo brings Nigerian cuisine to the masses, both through her food truck, Lasgidi Cafe, and cooking experiences that teach folks how to make the food themselves.

"We make Nigerian food for everyone," she says, recounting Lasgidi Cafe's winding journey.

As most who approach the truck have never tried Nigerian food before, Ogunbanjo wants people to know a couple things about her culture and cuisine.

"We're not all scammers!" she says, laughing at the stereotype. And for the food, "It's customizable: it can be gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan and I promise it doesn't have to be spicy."

Ogunbanjo's food truck has taken off since its initial launch in February 2023. But her mission to make Nigerian cuisine approachable to everyone began long before that.

In 2016, Ogunbanjo would cook for friends and family, who then asked her to cater small events like birthday parties. By 2018, Lasgidi started providing AirBnb experiences — a way for people to interpret West African food using their own hands in small-group cooking classes. When COVID-19 halted in-person gatherings, Ogunbanjo, ever the adapter, shifted to online dinners where people would learn to cook a meal and then eat together virtually.

Now, Lasgidi hosts about ten classes, which tend to fill quickly, each month. Ogunbanjo teaches eager participants how to concoct dishes like jollof rice, a Nigerian staple made with tomatoes, chiles, onions and spices. Ogunbanjo calls it "the dish that holds Nigerians together." Egusi soup, a shrimp and cubed beef dish cooked with spinach and ground egusi seeds, is also on the menu, depending on the class.

Guests can expect to arrive at an AirBnb in the Arcadia area for an intimate, fully immersive experience beginning with a brief history of Nigeria, then a chance to cook a recipe with primarily locally sourced ingredients. Ogunbanjo adds a lighthearted touch to the experience, quizzing guests on Nigerian trivia learned earlier in the night while they sip on their cocktail (or cocktails) of choice.

The experiences range in price from $40-120, depending on the complexity of the dish, and are completely customizable via the Lasgidi website. Ogunbanjo also offers private experiences in the comfort of peoples' homes and has led classes for seemingly every type of event, from bachelorette parties to corporate gatherings and cooking classes for children.

Ogunbanjo, who works as a full-time hospital administrator and teaches a business course at a local university, has a full plate. But her passion for Nigerian fare, and bringing it to the masses, is apparent in all she does.

She tells the story of a mother who approached her truck one day, warily, with her autistic daughter. She carefully explained the girl's dietary restrictions to Ogunbanjo, who recommended the jollof rice. The mother reluctantly obliged. A few minutes later, the girl and her mother approached the truck as Ogunbanjo braced for impact. She loved it, the girl's mother said, before ordering six more plates for the road.

The mother-and-daughter duo has since taken some of Lasgidi's cooking classes and bought jollof sauce, which Ogunbanjo offers as an easy shortcut for home cooks.

"That level of inclusivity is so important to me," Ogunbanjo says. "It makes my day."