Nanette Kapesa was 12 years old when her family came to west central Illinois from central west Africa.
They moved from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Monmouth.
“So we've been here for about 11 years and my parents moved us here for the opportunity,” Nanette said. “There's a factory here so a lot of immigrants move here so they can work at the factory.”
Smithfield Foods’ pork-processing plant has been diversifying Monmouth for decades. In Monmouth-Roseville District 238, nearly one in four students is an English language learner.
Immigrants in Monmouth work at the factory. They buy homes. And some become entrepreneurs.
Now 23, Nanette is working towards a bachelor’s degree in information technology, but she’s also working for her family’s business.
Taste of Africa is the dream of Nanette’s mom, Cathy Kapesa.
“She started making food for weddings, catering for weddings and also making lunches for people, since 2019,” Nanette said. “That’s kind of where it started. After a while she decided that it would be a good idea to start a restaurant. That way we can have more people try our food.”
A dream off the ground
The Kapesa family started scouting locations for the restaurant a couple years ago, while Cathy continued her catering business and sold food on DoorDash.
Nanette said they started the search in Galesburg, where there is also a growing Congolese community.
“Everywhere was too expensive for what we wanted, what we were looking for, what we could afford. So we thought it would be a good idea to kind of start here in Monmouth,” Nanette said.
The storefronts at 218 and 220 South Main Street in Monmouth used to be Paisano’s Mexican Restaurant and Grocery, and they’ve also been La Tapatia and Guadalajara.
But beginning this fall, they are home to Taste of Africa, where the menu is in English and Lingala and you can find things like dongo dongo, fufu, and bissap.
“We don't really have anything like this around here. So a lot of Congolese were looking for a place where they can go in and sit and enjoy food from home,” Nanette said. “And also we’re open to other people who want to try something different.”
Nanette played a key role in getting her mother’s dream off the ground, getting the building up to code and acquiring all the proper permits and licenses.
Now that the restaurant is open, Cathy is the chef and owner. Nanette helps out with bookkeeping, taxes, and management. She’s also a server and works in the kitchen, along with her sister Deby.
“So I basically do everything. And my mom, she’s not really good with English,” Nanette said. “So the reason why I help her with the management side of things is, that way I can help interpret things for her.”
Trying new things
The menu at Taste of Africa has grilled meats, including lamb and goat. There are shawarma wraps, samosas, catfish cooked in banana leaves, whole grilled catfish, poulet mayo, yucca balls, and Jollof couscous.
There’s sweet potato stew with smoked fish, goat stew in tomato sauce, beans cooked in palm oil with spices, and creamy peanut soup with wild spinach.
“We do get a lot of people who are very excited to try a different type of cuisine,” Nanette said.
Nanette is glad to share what she likes and explain to customers what the dishes are, and what they go with.
For instance, dongo dongo is okra stew. Bissap is hibiscus water. And fufu is a starchy dough made with yucca root that should be dunked in something.
“It’s made into a powder, and then the powder is cooked with hot water. So it doesn’t really have flavor. But once you dip it in the sauce, that’s what gives it flavor. So when you pair with like a cassava leaves stew, you dip it in that and it gives it flavor,” Nanette said. “I also like the tilapia with the plantains.”
Nanette says it’s good to try new things. In America, she’s grown to like burgers, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes with gravy.
“I think I've been to all the restaurants here in Monmouth because I'm always trying different things, even in Galesburg as well. Every time I go to Galesburg I will try something new,” she said. “But African food will always be my favorite.”
Taste of Africa is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and from 6:30 to 11 p.m. on Sunday.
‘The dream will become true’
Weeks after Taste of Africa opened in Monmouth, another African restaurant opened in Galesburg.
Malewa Café is inside the Galesburg Selfie Museum, 144 N. Broad St. It’s currently open for pickup and DoorDash delivery, but will offer dine-in soon.
The café is the latest venture by Gogo Kupa, owner of the Galesburg Selfie Museum and executive director of the Lipanda Foundation, which helps Congolese immigrants with things like learning English and navigating the housing market.
Malewa means restaurant in Lingala, and Galesburg’s Malewa Café has Congolese and west African dishes, including shawarma, samosas, Jollof rice, and mikate, which are Congolese beignets.
“We wanted people to explore the African culture, African taste, flavor,” Kupa said.
Kupa came to Galesburg with her husband Yannick six years ago. She said the biggest barrier for immigrant entrepreneurs is language.
“But if you are willing to learn, and you are willing to ask questions, there’s no barrier,” she said.
Kupa said the Congolese community is proud to have achieved the milestone of opening African restaurants in Monmouth and Galesburg.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter who you are. What matters is what you want to achieve. As long as you want something, work for it, and it will become true. The dream will become true,” she said.
There were around 1,500 Congolese people in Galesburg and Monmouth the last time Kupa conducted a survey.
“People are still coming. It's still growing,” she said. “Besides that, people are families now, people are getting married, they're having children, and you have people moving from other states to this area.”
The Lipanda Foundation also helps Congolese immigrants with green cards become citizens.
“After five years you have the possibility to apply for the citizenship. Every month we keep having two, three, or five people, and it keeps growing,” she said.
Both Taste of Africa and Malewa Café also offer vegan items.
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