Popular West African chef prepares to feed Hackney Carnival crowds

Visitors to this Sunday’s Hackney One Carnival can enjoy a taste of West African food courtesy of highly-acclaimed local chef Nima Owino.

Hailed by the Guardian as one of “the African cooks to look out for on London’s streets”, Nima’s stall Cham Cham has been making its mark in East London. She’s the latest business to join the Local Buyers Club, with a 15% discount to members.

Jenna Fansa, a founder of the Local Buyers Club, said: “We’ve been huge fans of Nima for years and can’t get enough of her food – her hot pepper sauce is a staple in our kitchen and her ginger beer got me through my morning sickness.

“Nima has a way of combining flavours to create the most unique and delicious food I’ve ever tried. We’ve pretty much stalked her from her home supper clubs to her market stall and are delighted she’s decided to join our club.”

Cham Cham, which means small bites to eat or to chew in Krio, will be serving pepper chicken with jacato baba ghanoush and bunch (beans) with a fried egg at the Carnival in Ridley Road this Sunday.

The Carnival, which typically attracts around 28,000 people, will travel from Queensbridge Road at 1.30pm through Richmond Road, Mare Street and Dalston Lane, pausing at Hackney Town Hall at 3pm.

Nima, who was raised in London and has family in Sierra Leone and Liberia. said: “West African food has the potential to become as popular as Indian or Chinese food. Loads of African stalls and cafés are popping up and people are becoming more familiar with the dishes – it’s getting a lot more interesting now.”

To find out more visit: www.hackney.gov.uk/carnival and www.nimsdin.com.

Join the Local Buyers Club today and start receiving discounts at around 80 businesses in East and North London.

* Carnival pictures courtesy of Sean Pollock / Hackney Council