Grace Adegoke from RNK Restaurant in Bebington _320
WHEN you think of the Caribbean, you think of sea, sunshine, white sands and, of course, fabulous, fantastic food.
And now clinician-turned chef and restaurateur Grace Adegoke is bringing those fantastic flavours and a taste of sunshine to a little corner of Wirral.
Nigerian-born Grace opened the doors to RNK Afro-Caribbean Restaurant and Juice Bar, in Bebington, last year after customers of her catering service encouraged her to spread her culinary wings.
It is the only restaurant of its kind on the peninsula, and specialises in offering a fusion of modern and traditional Afro-Caribbean cuisine but with a big focus on making the food it offers as healthy as possible.
"When I looked around the area, I couldn’t see anything that offered this sort of food," says Grace, who came to the UK 12 years ago. "I felt there was a need in the market for this sort of cuisine.
"I was already doing catering for parties and events, and the only way to get this food to lots of people was through the restaurant.
"Sometimes, when people think of Afro- Caribbean food, they think of rice and peas and they think of it as fattening or unhealthy, but we have created a menu that is as healthy without compromising on taste," Grace continues.
To that end, Grace, who creates all the dishes herself and never follows anyone else’s recipes, focuses on cramming plenty of fruit and vegetables into her menu and as many nutritious ingredients as possible.
"I have come up with the recipes myself over the years," she explains. "I have tried to take the flavours and the ingredients of Africa and the Caribbean and make it healthy. Afro-Caribbean food is all about freshness and goodness, nothing is processed at all.
"I have even started growing vegetables, as most Afro-Caribbean dishes are plant-based then you add the meat or the fish.
"You can get your five a day here – you can even get your 10 a day!"
"I have been doing some research into Afro- Caribbean food and ingredients and some of them are like medicines, for example, plantains (they look like bananas, but are bigger and longer with thicker skin) are good for lowering blood pressure," Grace adds.
For those who really enjoy their evenings out and the dishes on offer at RNK, there is also the opportunity to take your food home with you – and we don’t mean leftovers in a doggy bag.
At the RNK food store – inside the restaurant – many of the sauces, spices and ingredients used on the menu can be purchased to help you recreate Grace’s master- pieces in your own kit- chen. She even offers cooking lessons for those who are really keen to get it right. "Most people these days are able to cook Chinese and Indian food at home; now they can learn to cook Afro- Caribbean," says Grace.
"Nobody sat me down and taught me how to cook, it is just my own talent. My grandmothers were both known in their neighbourhoods for their cooking, but I never had in mind that I would one day be cooking for a living. It is a passion that has developed over the years and has come to fruition with the restaurant.
"In the Caribbean and in Africa, everybody chips in with the cooking; they put everything in together and ‘jerk’ it up.
"It is very easy to cook once you know the ingredients. There is a very laid back approach to cooking in Africa and the Caribbean, they cook three meals a day and cooking is part of the lifestyle in this part of the world, it is not seen as a chore."
* THE RNK Afro- Caribbean Restaurant, Old Chester Road, Bebington, Wirral. www.rnk- foods.co.uk
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