About Us: Unpacking Our Story
Hi there, we’re Jen and Alex. If you’d told us fifteen years ago that we’d spend over a decade living across Africa, only to return home to the U.S. with a kitchen that smells more of berbere and ginger than anything else, we would have laughed. But life has a funny, beautiful way of rewriting your menu.
Our story doesn’t start in this bright, shiny kitchen you see in the photos. It starts with a comfortable, predictable life in the American Midwest and two hearts that were getting a little restless. We were in our late twenties, and Alex, an engineer, got an opportunity for a two-year project in Ethiopia. We looked at each other, took a deep breath, and said, “Why not?” We packed up our lives into a few suitcases, naively thinking it was just a short adventure.
That “short adventure” became eleven years.
From the vibrant, coffee-scented streets of Addis Ababa, we moved to the bustling energy of Lagos, and later, the coastal calm of Dar es Salaam. We weren’t just visiting; we were living. We learned that a “market” wasn’t a sterile building with aisles, but a living, breathing entity of color, sound, and a thousand new smells. We learned that a meal wasn’t just something you ate at 6 PM, but an event—a reason to gather, to talk, to laugh, and to connect.
Food became our language. When we didn’t know the words, we could point to a pile of fiery red pili pili, share a piece of warm chapati, or learn how to cook jollof rice from a neighbor who treated us like family. Alex, ever the methodical one, would learn the precise way to chop vegetables for a perfect sukuma wiki. I was the chaotic one, falling in love with the spice stalls, buying mystery powders, and bringing them home to experiment. Our tiny kitchens, from Addis to Lagos, became our playground.
Coming back to the U.S. was a culture shock in reverse. The grocery stores felt too quiet. The food, while familiar, felt like it was missing something. A story. A bit of soul. So, we started to cook our memories. We’d make a big pot of Doro Wat on a cold Tuesday night. We’d blend American barbecue techniques with Nigerian spices. Our kitchen became a fusion of two continents, a map of our journey.
That’s how AfriPaket was born.
The name comes from that feeling of returning home with a “packet” of experiences—a collection of flavors, stories, and lessons that we’re still unpacking. This blog is our way of sharing it all with you. It’s for the adventurous eater, the curious cook, and anyone who believes that a single recipe can transport you across the world.
Here, you’ll find our versions of African classics, our American comfort foods with an African twist, and the stories behind the meals that shaped us. We’re not claiming to be the ultimate experts, but we are passionate students. This is our love letter to the continent that became our home and the flavors that came back with us.
So please, pull up a chair. Our kitchen is your kitchen. We’re so incredibly happy you’re here to share the journey with us.
With love,
Jen & Alex