Ohioma Odihirin grew up loving his mother’s Southern meals, in addition to the Latin restaurant meals he ate within the Bronx. As an expert chef, he’s fused the tastes of these two worlds.
Odihirin, who’s African American and has a Latina spouse, Eternaty, calls his catering enterprise Afrotina, a nod to the fusion and to Eternaty, who’s from the Dominican Republic. The couple lives in Bridgeport and does a variety of enterprise in each Fairfield and New Haven counties.
“I beloved my Southern meals and I beloved my Spanish meals,” Odihirin mentioned. “To me, I like meals as a result of just about it brings folks collectively.”
His mom’s Southern dishes included fried rooster, greens, macaronia and cheese and barbecue. He grew to like Spanish meals consuming out within the Bronx, the place there’s a heavy Spanish affect, he mentioned.
Odihirin, a graduate of culinary faculty, mentioned he additionally was influenced by his father’s homecooked Nigerian meals, and may make it upon request, however mentioned it’s too scorching for a lot of palates.
In his newest catering enterprise enterprise, Odihirin has an upscale clientele — hospitals, universities, non-public events — and, starting Jan. 3, he’ll add a weekday gig with a unique sort of menu in an area on the Black Nook Retailer in New Haven.
There, within the kitchen of the 275 Edgewood Ave. retailer, he’ll put the fusion apart and serve on a regular basis grab-and-go meals out of the deli/meals space, reminiscent of deli meals and empanadas.
“I simply need to have the ability to do each,” he mentioned of the catering and nook retailer.
Certainly one of his fusion dishes contains ribs marinated in sofrito, a Spanish sauce of tomato, olive oil, onions, garlic, herbs and peppers, then barbecued. He additionally makes use of Sazon and adobo for the Spanish affect, a lot of peppers, and is well-known for tasty sauces.
Jason Rawlings, who used to work with Odihirin, has tried his meals at work and at pop-ups in the neighborhood, saying, “It was scrumptious, with the mixture of flavors that he makes use of, and the dipping sauces nice.”
Rawlings known as Odihirin’s shrimp empanada “magical.”
Stratford resident Jo-Ann Loftus used Afrotina for a catered celebration final summer time for her household at her daughter’s home in Fairfield and was so in awe of Odihirin’s fusion meals that she’s been following him to pop-up meals occasions.
“It’s the entire package deal — he’s fantastic, candy, proficient. His meals was wonderful,”
Loftus mentioned
“It was the very best mac and cheese I’ve ever had,” she mentioned. Loftus advised Odihirin he’d have two challenges, as her son is gluten-free, and “I don’t eat greens”
Regardless of the latter proclamation, Loftus adored her collard greens a lot that she wouldn’t give anybody a chew, she mentioned.
