“Do you want to get to know African food? You don’t need to pay for a ticket to fly anywhere,” says Lamine Sarr, co-owner of East and West Catering. “We can take you all over Africa in half an hour!”
East and West Catering co-owner Adama Jammeh makes beignets and brochettes at the Taste Around the Globe booth at Tukwila Village Farmers Market.
Lamine and his cousins Adama Jammeh and Oumie Sallah launched East and West Catering this spring to offer traditional foods and beverages from their home countries of Gambia and Senegal, as well as favorite dishes from other parts of Africa. Their menu items include mafe peanut butter soup from Senegal, sukuma wiki braised vegetables from East Africa, and a hibiscus drink that is especially popular in Gambia.
Check out East and West Catering’s menu and website, and hire them to bring delicious cuisine to your next event! You can also try their food at our Taste Around the Globe booth. This month, you can find East and West Catering at:
- Renton Farmers Market on July 9,
- Pike Place MarketFront on July 12, 19, and 20,
- Tukwila Village Farmers Market on July 17,
- and Auburn Farmers Market on July 28.
Stay tuned to our website for additional Taste Around the Globe booth dates. In the meantime, enjoy our Q&A with Lamine:
Tell us about your business.
We promote a variety of East and West African foods, offering good quality and good prices.
Sautéed okra with bell pepper and onion by East and West Catering.
What inspired you to start East and West Catering?
I used to own a restaurant in France, and I have worked as a chef in Seattle for three years. I’m excited to apply my food industry expertise to our family business.
What makes East and West Catering different from other food businesses?
We cater for all communities. Our dishes are tasty, nicely presented, and professionally prepared.
What do you like most about your work?
My favorite part of my work is when I’m in the kitchen, cooking for customers.
Samosas by East and West Catering.
What have been the biggest challenges in launching your business? What resources have helped?
To know how to cook is not enough. You have to know customers’ needs and how to solve them. FIN helps us in many ways – it opened my eyes to marketing and communication. I’m learning how to connect with customers. And now I can do my accounting and business plan because of FIN.