Houston

Jollof rice is one of the most popular dishes in West Africa. Marcus tries some Nigerian jollof rice at Wazobia Market in Houston and draws comparisons to jambalaya from the southern U.S., essentially a derivative of jollof. Kavachi tells Marcus a story about her third grade teacher not accepting West African food, after having asked the students to bring in home cooking to share with the class.

James and Jolly Onobun, owners of Jolly Jolly Bakery, share their passions for their business, their origin story, what to look for in a Nigerian agege bread (a pillowy texture), and their desire to leave something good for their sons.

Chef Jonathan "Jonny" Rhodes discusses aking the reigns from African-American soul food pioneers and their industrious use of available ingredients. Chef Jonny demonstrates his creativity for Marcus, cooking a dry-aged heritage pheasant filled with jollof rice, and finishing with a dessert of emulsified candied yams, pecan butter, granola, and torched marshmallows.

Host Marcus Samuelsson visits Houston to learn more about food and community in the Nigerian and greater West African diaspora. Centered around the large Nigerian population but also focused on Senegalese, Ghanaian, and other West African cultures, the episode explores how West African immigrants preserve recipes and food traditions and re-contextualize them in the Houston dining scene.