Free! Immigrant Kitchen

Register for LaToya's Cameroon Kitchen, Monday, August 10

LaToya Mbayu

Continuing our season of free events thanks to funding from the Minnesota Humanities Center, we are presenting a Cameroonian menu from LaToya Mbayu who was born in the West-Central African country bordering Nigeria, raised in the US, and stays connected to her culture through food and cooking.

Cameroonian food is marked by heavy use of spice, BBQ (soya,) colonial influences, and staples like peanuts and plantains.

LaToya says that her immigrant parents deeply impacted her own journey:

“The pursuit of the American dream often demands more than ambition — it requires sacrifice, grit, and an unshakable belief in something greater,” she said.

“I was raised to embody all of that. The act of uprooting everything familiar to build a future from scratch — navigating a new world with quiet resilience and fierce determination — left the deepest imprint on me. That kind of strength wasn’t loud, but it was undeniable. It moved mountains without asking for credit.”

LaToya’s Menu:

Beef Soya (West African Beef Skewers):
This staple West African street snack, beef tossed in a peanut-based rub, reminds LaToya of the lively neighborhoods called “Briqueteries” (brickyards) in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. Sharing a simple newspaper cone of warm soya while traveling to visit her grandmother in the village cost almost nothing, but she says that the memory remains wholesome, savory, spicy, and unforgettable.

Beignet Haricot (Puff Puff and Beans):
Deep-fried dough paired with sautéed beans. Holidays spent at her late aunt’s home in Yaoundé, a local lady would make fresh, crispy deep fried dough paired with sauteed beans bright and early every morning. Everyone in the neighborhood would rush to her corner to get first dibs right out of the hot oil.

Poulet DG (Director General Chicken):
A colorful medley of hen, carrots, green beans, onions, tomatoes, and fried ripe plantains was usually a luxury reserved only for high dignitaries. Whenever her mother made it at home, the kids would jokingly fight over who got the largest pieces of chicken.

Mommy’s Banana Bread:
LaToya’s culinary journey is deeply rooted in the matriarchs of her family. When her mother decided to start a baking business last year after her older sister passed, she decided to call her business “Aunt Viv’s Banana Breads” as a tribute. The bread is warm, soft, sweet, and airy—a true love letter from LaToya’s mother to her sister.

Register for LaToya’s dinner here. Act fast! Seats will fill up quickly.

Important information about our menus:
BIPOC Foodways Alliance and Immigrant Kitchen has elected not to accommodate dietary restrictions - legacy food is an important cultural asset, and asking our co-hosts to change their dishes undermines the deep histories attached to them.This is a difficult decision, as we want as many people to participate in our programming as possible. However, the foods we are presenting are already culturally accurate and appropriate as they exist, and preserving their integrity in conjunction with our co-hosts is an integral part of our mission.

If you are a guest who cannot tolerate the menu we are presenting, we invite you to check back for a future experience that might be more amenable to your dietary needs.Thank you for your understanding.

Check back here for details about our September event.