Winter is upon us, and you know what that means? Comfort food. Hearty, solid meals for the belly and soul. Luckily for us, Nwadiani has opened up his store location of Van Suya just in time to bring some light in our lives during these dark and brooding days, with some much-needed nourishment.
We speak about his long overdue journey from DoorDash to doors wide open, and welcoming people to experience his food IRL in what is predicted to become Surrey’s West African hot spot.
“Praise the lord 😫🤩.” – IG follower’s comment on Van Suya’s Beef and Chicken Suya
You heard it here first! Now let’s get into it with the man himself.
By Avneet Takhar
You’ve made a real name for yourself in the food scene out here, Ekaose. How’d it all start?
Seven years ago I moved out to Vancouver for my Master’s in Business Administration! Entrepreneurship has always guided me, because coming from Nigeria I had my own business there that I ran.
When I first came, I didn’t have any friends or anyone I knew. Originally I didn’t even know how to cook! I used to drive or take the train from Vancouver to Surrey to find African food, and one day I called my mum and she gave me some recipes and I also watched some YouTube videos.
It was during the pandemic that I really took the chance to improve my culinary skills. I learned how to make Suya (a traditional smoked spiced meat skewer originating from Nigeria), a popular street food that you find on every street corner in Nigeria.
People started to try it and that’s how Van Suya began. It began from making it in the basement of my house. People were loving it and excited, especially in Vancouver because it meant they didn’t have to drive all the way to Surrey to enjoy good soul food.
After a while I registered for a kitchen at Coho Commissary on East Georgia Street, and set up through Uber Eats and DoorDash so we’ve been able to serve a lot of people over the last four years.
So many people were telling me they were missing Nigeria and this food was like “a home away from home”. That’s what we’ve always wanted to create.
It’s been a joy to hear about the restaurant opening. How was the leap from online to in-store, and what was the catalyst?
Online is a beautiful channel, because people can order from the comfort of their own home. But it’s got to the point where we’ve maxed out the space we have in the commissary, and we also want to offer our delicious cuisine in a sit-down space because we’ve had so many customers ask: “When’s there going to be a location? We want to dine in and get the whole experience!”
Over the years we’ve been looking for a space, and now we’ve found it, especially for our demographic. It’s the perfect location in Surrey, at 4000 square feet. Our customers motivated us for that casual dine-in spot where they can enjoy Nigerian cuisine.
We have a lounge-style, where people can enjoy good food, listen to good music, relax and feel good vibes.
Love it! And for those who don’t already know, what can they expect from the Van Suya Surrey menu (and will it differ from online)?
It’s not too far off, but we’re going to be offering a lot more amazing items! We have appetizers, desserts, pastries and a main course menu catering to meat lovers and vegetarians. We’ve also added some great stuff with spices like lamb chops, and a fancier BBQ platter that serves 5-7 people—it’s huge!
We’re going to be bringing you some delicious meal items, and I think it’ll be exciting for customers to enjoy whenever they step into our doors.
Do you have any thoughts on community and the visibility of West African cuisine in Vancouver/ the surrounding areas?
With the community, it’s definitely growing. Canada has been an amazing country in becoming more diverse, and more immigrants coming here.
In terms of West African cuisine, we’ve always seen people sell African cuisine from their supermarkets and homes, but with restaurant storefronts we still don’t have that visibility and as much as we want to compared to people in Toronto.
But we’re going for it! And trying to create that opportunity for fresh casual dining with our Nigerian restaurant where you can come when it’s your birthday, take pictures, and listen to good tunes!
Our goal as a company is to open five locations across the Metro Vancouver area, in Burnaby and North Vancouver all the way to Abbotsford.
How exciting, Ekaose! And if you could say a reason why people need the FULL Van Suya experience in their lives, what would it be?
We have a slogan that’ll be in the restaurant and it’s: “Eat Van Suya, and feel good”. I tell all my team members that I want every person who steps through the door to have an experience and leave happy. I want to see people smile and always want to come back.
We really want to bring that “home away from home” feeling just like you’re in Lagos, but you’re actually in Vancouver or Surrey. You don’t have to go to Toronto to enjoy that, you can get that right here!
Van Suya officially opened its doors on November 25, 2023. You can follow them and check out the website to keep up with all the spicy updates.
Van Suya is located at 10767 King George Boulevard, Surrey.
There are many ways to get here by transit. Visit TransLink’s Trip Planner to find your way.
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