From Abeokuta to Barnawa, one pot at a time
How Mama Ronke brought ofada rice north, and why the buka still cooks the old way.
on Kachia Road, Barnawa.
A pot of ayamase and a bench
Mama Ronke moved from Abeokuta to Kaduna with her husband in 1990. She missed the food of home, so she cooked it, and the neighbours in Barnawa came to taste. By 1994 there was a bench, a zinc roof and a sign painted by her son.
Her Hausa neighbours taught her tuwo and miyan kuka; she taught them ayamase. That swap is still the heart of the menu.
Today her daughter Funke runs the kitchen, and Mama still tastes the first pot every morning.
Ofada rice comes from farmers near Abeokuta, washed and picked by hand at the back of the kitchen.
Served on a leaf, the old way, because it keeps the rice soft and smells of home.
Who cooks for you
Mama Ronke
Founder. Tastes every first pot.
Funke
Runs the kitchen and the catering.
Aminu
Tuwo and northern soups, the best miyan kuka in town.
Blessing
Front of house, orders and WhatsApp.
Example family for this demo.
The old way, on purpose
- Firewood for jollof and pepper soupDaily
- Fresh pepper ground each morning6am
- Stews kept in clay potsAlways
- No stock cubes in the ayamaseNever
Taste the story
Come on a Sunday for ofada and ayamase, the dish that started it all.