Dayton, Ohio, boasts a rich tapestry of cultures, and its African markets stand as vibrant testaments to this diversity. These markets not only provide essential goods but also serve as community hubs, connecting people through food and shared heritage. This article explores the history and offerings of these markets, highlighting their significance to the local African diaspora.
2nd Street Market in Dayton Ohio.
The 2nd Street Market, a Five Rivers MetroParks location, has celebrated Black History Month for many years. The Market is hosting programs with a focus on celebrating and supporting Black members of our community, including small business owners, artists, creatives and more.
- Book Club at the Market with Invoke: Sunday, Feb.
- Jazz with Eddie Osborne: Saturday, Feb.
- Juice Journey with Choice Juice Boxx: Friday, Feb.
- Gospel with DC Ensemble: Saturday, Feb.
- Blues Appreciation with Harmonia Neil: Saturday, Feb.
- Learn about Charles Young, Buffalo Soldier: Sunday, Feb.
The 2nd Street Market will also host a special Culinary Kitchen: From Bean to Bar With Love on Thursday, Feb. Join chocolate educator London Coe and a team of chocolate makers and farmers to talk single origin bean to bar craft chocolate from Haiti! Enjoy an evening of exploring chocolate from the flower to the pod, the bean to the bar with love. The night will include a chocolate tasting of different chocolate varieties grown in Haiti and a chocolate station where you get to build your own chocolate goodie bag to take home.
Missing Peace Art Space uses creative arts to enhance awareness of the need for peace. They offer African earring cards, greeting cards decorated with beads and embroidery, hand-etched boxes and picture frames, art tiles with miniature easels, rolled paper necklaces, and miniature prints from Dayton artists.
Read also: Celebrating Heritage
Ikaze East African Market: A Taste of Rwanda and Beyond
Anita Nzigiye, the owner of Ikaze East African Market in Belmont, shared her story of opening the store in March 2020, right at the start of the pandemic. "I am from Rwanda," she told me. She arrived in 2007 and became a citizen in 2014. Much of the food they sell comes from East Africa. They even get their eggplants from Africa. They are similar to the eggplant you have here, but smaller.
Ikaze East African Market offers a variety of authentic East African products, catering to the needs and tastes of the local community. The store sells a lot of staples like palm oil, rice, corn flour and Cassava flour. They sell most of these staples in large quantities because African people don’t like to go to a market every day. The corn flour and cassava flour is used to make fufu, which is an important part of their diet. When you’re done making fufu it looks kind of like mashed potatoes, but it’s thicker. They also carry many kinds of fish because people from the Congo especially love fish. They sell dried fish, salted fish, frozen fish, tilapia, all kinds of fish. They also sell green bananas here, which you call plantains. They boil them and then fry them. It’s good.
Anita also recommended Soso Cuisine, a Rwandan restaurant in West Carrollton, suggesting their sambusa as a must-try.
Umoja East and Central African Market: Unity Through Food
New African market opens up in Montgomery County | WHIO-TV
On a Sunday, members of the Old North Dayton Neighborhood Association and the surrounding community gathered to celebrate the grand opening of a market on Stanley Avenue. The Umoja East and Central African Market sells foods from various regions of Africa. Umoja means unity is Swahili.
Angelique Nyambanguka owns the market with her husband, Alexis Sebatware. The couple has been living in Dayton for nearly seven years after seeking refuge from war in their home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nyambanguka said it was the desire to connect the community through food - and a business mindset- that drove the couple to open up the market. “The vision of the [market] is to work together. It doesn’t matter where you come from, when you come to Umoja, we’re all together in unity," Nyambanguka said.
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The market is stocked with cassava flour, red palm oil, Rwandan tea, and spices to cook dishes from Liberia all the way to Burundi. It also carries daily goods like diapers, hair care products and cleaning supplies.
In 2019, about seven percent of businesses in Montgomery County were immigrants-owned, according to a research study by the New American Economy. Matt Tepper, a member of the Old North Dayton Business Association, noted that big box grocery stores haven’t shown interest in investing in the community.
A Variety of Products and Flavors
These markets offer a diverse range of products, reflecting the culinary traditions of various African countries. Here’s a glimpse of what you might find:
| Product Category | Examples | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Staple Foods | Palm oil, rice, corn flour, cassava flour | Cooking, making fufu |
| Fish | Dried fish, salted fish, frozen fish, tilapia | Various dishes, especially popular in Congolese cuisine |
| Produce | Green bananas (plantains), African eggplants | Boiling, frying, stews |
| Other | Rwandan tea, spices | Beverages, flavoring dishes |
Choice Juice Boxx offers fresh pressed fruit and vegetable juices with an aim to create a healthy and natural product that promotes a healthy lifestyle. Born and raised in Dayton, Lester and Larry Gates are a small part of the rich history the city has to offer. They currently offer vegan and vegetarian options alongside their classic dishes.
Sweet P’s Handcrafted Ice Pops has an ever-changing seasonal menu with pops made from whatever fruits, vegetables and herbs are fresh and available. The menu consists of over 300 flavors, including dairy-based, water-based, fruit-based and Paleo-style ice pops based on Mexican paletas.
Read also: Experience Fad's Fine African Cuisine
Vegan It IZ Eats helps the community live a life full of energy and wellness through plant-based meals. Born and raised in Dayton, owner Rhea Adkins adapted a plant-based lifestyle after going on a spiritual fast in 2017 and a cancer scare with her mother. While eating plant-based foods she noticed an increase in energy and overall health. She then began to research and pilot her plant-based food products.
Mrs. Ernestine’s Pound Cakes is a fourth generation baking business that values quality, local ingredients and keeping tradition alive. Shoppers will find up to five different pound cake flavors including seasonal rotations, tea cakes, fruit pies and cobblers.
Ninjtaro Jewels creates accessible high-end jewelry for those who want to own artisan, one-of-a-kind pieces. Charmé Austin’s pieces cater to a wide variety of shoppers, with prices ranging from $5 to $250. While she is currently focused on wire wrapping, silver-smithing and Kumihimo weaving (a Japanese form of braiding jewelry), she also has collections of holistic healing jewelry.
One such store is located at 1405 Wilmington Ave Dayton, Ohio, and is open from 10 am to 7 pm every day except Saturday. The business phone number is (937) 567-0307.
