Our Story
A Taste of Africa is at heart an experiment. An experiment to combine the rich tastes of Cameroonian cuisine with the health-consciousness of the Bay area.
“I am the bridge for getting local people an international palette. I want to get the fork to the mouth because that one bite changes everything.” - Owner, Malong
Beginning in 1991, when Chef Malong Pendar was only 18, he began selling food with his mother out of the Big Green Truck at the Ashby Market. Together, they opened a family-owned restaurant called A Taste of Africa in 1995. While Pendar took over the family business and explored different avenues, his goal remained the same: to enrich the stomachs and souls of his customers with his self-proclaimed health food. Even after Chef Pendar closed his restaurant doors in 2017 and transitioned to catering, the community he built lived on. Now, he wants to help his customers have a one-of-a-kind catering experience. Whether served at corporate lunches or a wedding banquet, A Taste of Africa’s food will surely bring your people together to enjoy exquisite tastes and good company.
Cameroonian Cuisine
Cameroon - Bold, Flavorful, and Health-Oriented
Passionate food brings people together. When Cameroonian families come together, food is their expression of love and care for each other. At A Taste of Africa, we want our customers to experience that love and passion in the same way. The base of our Cameroonian cuisine is the fresh plant ingredients we get straight from the farm. With that, we add premium spices and herbs that create nourishing flavors. The main two we use are bitter leaf and njangsang (a nut from the njangsa tree), both of which are indigenous to West Africa. Chef Pendar describes Cameroonian food like baby food: it’s soul-warming and soft but packed with the flavor and nutrients needed for healthy growth.
“Because it's soft and mild, it's advanced baby food for adults. It's also baby food in that it heals.” - Owner, Malong
Healthy Ingredients
Chef Pendar has structured A Taste of Africa’s menu in order for his customers to get all the essential proteins and nutrients they need regardless of whether they eat a plant-based diet. Animal protein is an add-on in many of his dishes rather than the standard. More than just protein, however, A Taste of Africa’s menu is filled with micronutrients and minerals from the plethora of fresh vegetables and antioxidant-rich spices used to handcraft every plate.