Immerse Yourself in the Culture and Food of Africa and the Diaspora at Latha

Latha, one of three new openings this year in downtown Phoenix's historic Heritage Square, will hold a grand opening celebration this Saturday, April 22, after hosting a few soft-opening nights with a limited menu over the past couple of weeks.

Located in the Silva House directly across from Pizzeria Bianco, it joins South American restaurant Que Sazon — which opened in Teeter House in February — and Stemistry, a coffee and flower shop that opened in March in the Teeter Carriage House.

Latha, which in Swahili is spelled “ladha” and means “flavor,” serves contemporary seasonal dishes with responsibly sourced local ingredients based on historical recipes from Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil, and the southern U.S.

“Our vision is really to create a space for the community to gather, to come and eat and discover the food, the connections,” says owner Evelia Davis. Part of her vision is to spotlight how foods of the diaspora are connected throughout the continents, such as the similarities of shrimp etouffee in the American South and shrimp moqueca in Brazil.

“Everything on the menu has a story,” she says. "You sort of trace the trails of our ancestors when you go through the menu."

Meet The Diaspora Collective

However, Latha is more than a restaurant. It's an immersive journey through pan-African cultures. Everything on site, from the art and design to the music, food, and drinks, is related to Africa and the diaspora in some way in order to provide an "edutainment" experience.

The overall name of the multi-concept space is The Diaspora Collective, and it includes one room devoted to a soko, or market, selling apparel, housewares, and bath and body products. Though Latha takes up most of the building and patio, the collective is intended to be a gathering place for live music, book signings, art exhibits, and other events.

“Whether (customers) learn something about Africa they didn’t know, they taste a food or a flavor they never had before, or they discover something by buying clothes or listening to the music, there’s so many opportunities for people to celebrate and discover something they haven’t done before,” Davis says.

She likens Latha to taking a trip without the plane ride.

“When people travel, some of the things they want to experience is the food, the music, the culture," she says. "We’ve created a space where they can do that.”

The grand opening event on Saturday starts at $200 per person, plus tax and tip, and requires a ticket. Dinner service will start the following week, and hours going forward will be 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Entrees will run from $26 to $34, with appetizers in the $15 to $21 range. “After we perfect our dinner service, we’ll add a brunch and then lunch,” Davis says, probably in the fall.

A Look Inside Latha

The experience starts on the patio, which has seating for 60, including cozy lounges with bright pops of color on the umbrellas and pillows. A sign greets guests with the word “welcome” in a smattering of languages from Africa and the diaspora.

“It’s a space where you can come and gather and connect with other people — some who may look like you and some who may not look like you,” Davis says. “It's a safe space for that to happen.”

Inside, the lobby displays a 6-foot-tall map of Africa with all the nations delineated and bold wallpaper inspired by mudcloth, a prominent fabric in the western African nation of Mali. To the right are two cheery dining rooms with light wood floors and dark brown wicker seating. To the left is a compact bar with six stools and two high tops. Behind that is the soko.

The majority of wines and spirits at Latha are made or owned by Black purveyors, such as Uncle Nearest whiskey, Ten To One Rum, Michael Jordan’s Cincoro tequila, and McBride Sisters’ wines which include Black Girl Magic.

"It's actually a good assortment," Davis says. "I'm really proud of it."

Cooking With Connection

With 30 years in corporate retail but no direct food experience, Davis partnered with chef and restaurant consultant Digby Stridiron, a native of St. Croix to create the menu. Originally, he planned only to help set up the restaurant, but after visiting Phoenix, he decided to stay.

“It’s a beautiful city. It won my heart," he says. "I’m in the process of relocating.”

Stridiron brings a long, impressive list of accolades to Latha. He was named Chef of the Year by the Caribbean Tourism Association in 2014 and has served as the culinary ambassador for the U.S. Virgin Islands. He’s cooked at the James Beard House in New York City and helmed numerous top-rated restaurants in the Caribbean.

In fact, that’s how Davis connected with him. Every time she and her husband vacationed in St. Croix, they discovered different restaurants that became favorites and eventually realized Stridiron had some part in all of them. She also recognized that his places had a connection to Africa in the decor and the menu which was something she wanted to convey at Latha.

“He honors the history of the food and foodways, but brings a contemporary approach to it,” Davis says.

For instance, Stridirion makes coconut bread and serves it with pimento cheese, a popular snack in the southern U.S.

He also created his own version of shrimp moqueca, a Brazilian seafood stew with coconut milk. It’s served with preservative-free rice grits from Congaree and Penn, a Florida farm, because they’re more common in Africa than grits made from corn. And he added pickled onions, which are popular in Caribbean dishes, and a side of grilled broccoli.

Stridiron also plans to tap a wide variety of local products. He’s excited that so many ingredients are readily available on the mainland versus an 84-square-mile island, and he plans to forge relationships to help sustain smaller farms and producers.

Davis says the spark for Latha came during her trips to Africa, making her want to create an inclusive space for discovery that celebrates the best of what she saw on the continent and within its people.

“One of the first things someone said to me was, ‘Welcome home, my sister.’ So I wanted to replicate that.”

Latha

628 East Adams Street
480-640-6183