A retired security aide at the Center For Forensic Psychiatry in York Township has opened African & Caribbean Food Market on Carpenter Rd. just north of Packard.
Roromu Samu, a Nigerian who emigrated here in his late thirties, is reinventing himself at age sixty-six with a small shop featuring fresh, frozen, and shelf-
stable foods, particularly those he grew up eating and knows that the African community here would appreciate.
After paying some ten months of rent during store preparations that took longer than expected, he opened for business on January 2. “It’s a good location,” he says. “We didn’t want to lose it, so we had to sacrifice to keep it going.”
With mentorship from Maranatha African Market in Westland and most merchandise coming from All United Imports in Chicago, Samu is already enjoying sharing his cultural and culinary knowledge with customers.
“For example, this Ghana yam,” he says, “doesn’t grow here in Michigan. So sometimes those of us that have been here over the years, people got kids, and you know … But sometimes people do have a taste to eat something from your native country.”
African & Caribbean Food Market, 2895 Carpenter Rd. (734) 585–5230. Sun. 1–8 p.m.; Mon., Tues., Thurs., & Sat. 10:30 a.m.–8 p.m., Wed. 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Closed Fri.
