West African and Caribbean Supper Club Arrives in Shoreditch

London’s self-styled “modern Caribbean social club” — Island Social Club — has announced details of its second supper club, “Nyamming 2: Children of the Diasporas,” which will showcase the cuisines of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Jamaica, at TT Liquor cocktail bar in Shoreditch next month.

Chef’s Nimatu Owino and Marie Mitchell have designed a four-course menu — designed to be paired with TT’s cocktails — through which they will share “their varied and complex journeys to finding their own culinary voices.” Through the food, the chefs want to introduce guests to the “interweaving relationship between two young chefs’ experiences” which have been shaped growing up in London as children of Liberian/Sierra Leonean and Jamaican parents, respectively.

Two of the courses will be interpretations of classic west African and Caribbean dishes, using seasonal British produce. The other two will draw inspiration from London’s modern food scene to, what the organisers say, “add a contemporary layer to London’s diasporic food culture.”

Owino is founder of Nim’s Din — the blog, recipe site, and supper club Cham Cham; while Mitchell is the co-founder of Island Social Club and head chef of modern Caribbean supper club, Pop’s Kitchen.

Through the Nyamming series, which the founders hope to continue into 2019, they want to “explore food tradition that reach far beyond the plate, as a gateway to understanding this culture.”

With that, the creators have selected the Funtunfunefu Denkyemfunefu symbol to brand the event.

In their words:

A west African symbol, showing two crocodiles linked by the stomach their heads and mouths facing different directions. The beast shares a belly, but fights over food — it’s a symbol for the complexity of sharing experience in our society. Nyamming is Island Social Club’s response. This inclusive dining experience is designed to promote the idea that, we all share a fundamental goal.

Check back soon for details of the menu, as well an interview with Owino and Mitchell ahead of October’s event.

The event on Friday 26 October are currently priced at £45, and can be bought here.