We’re going to end the year on a high note: by acheiving a foodie goal that long eluded us. We first encountered Furahi: A Taste of Home, a Congolese food pop-up in Cleveland, when they were having an event at Mason’s Creamery, a local ice cream store (and sometimes ramen shop), several years ago. However, when we got to that Furahi pop-up, they were sold out! We were so disappointed. Furahi periodically had pop-ups throughout the years since then, but it never worked out for us to attend. So, we were delighted to hear that Furahi now has a semi-permanent home in the Ohio City Farm Stand in Cleveland, near the West Side Market (2304 Bridge Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113).
Furahi is the brainchild of Esther Ngemba, a chef and entrepreneur who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and later moved to Cleveland with her family (she is a John Carroll University graduate). Her specialties at Furahi are foods and handicrafts from the DRC. After hosting a series of pop-up around towns, she now offers dinners at the recently-reconstructed Ohio City Farm store and kitchen (official grand opening in 2026). The brand-new farm building is attached to Ohio City Farm, one of the largest urban farms in the country, which is worth a visit in itself. Furahi’s pre-packed juice and food are also available in the farm store if you are visiting outside of dinner hours. However, if you choose to stop by for her pop-up dinners you can either sit and enjoy a plated meal in the airy farmhouse or take your meal to go. We opted to pre-order our meal and eat in, and made a reservation to stop by anytime from 4-9 PM on a Saturday. When we were arrived we were greeted warmly by Esther and took our seats in the dining area.
We started off with the sambusas, African cousins of samosas, fried triangular dough wrappers with savory fillings. We got vegetarian, but there is also a meat version. They were delightful and crispy and came with both mild and hot dipping sauces. Other appetizers included fried plaintains and fried cassava. For mains, we got Sombe stew and Goat stew. Sombe is one of the classic dishes of Congolese cuisine, made with pounded cassava leaves, peanuts and palm oil. The goat stew was silky and savory and M particularly liked the addition of the homemade hot sauce. The dish was served alongside a healthy heaping of fufu – pounded cassava – a common accompaniment in Congolese cuisine and other West African cuisines. It serves the same purpose as rice/bread and is perfect for sopping up any sauces and stews. We were absolutely stuffed, but next time we will have to try some of the beignets for dessert.
Other delicious accompaniments to the dinner were the fresh pressed juices. We got the spicy mix of ginger and pineapple, other options included ginger and ginger/lemon. We may pick up a few more bottles of juice from the shop the next time we are in Ohio City. Keep an eye on Furahi’s social media and website for updates on the dinner popups, cooking classes, and other events. She also offers catering and private dining. The pop-up dinner experience was very pleasant and we enjoyed chatting with Esther and hearing about her and her culinary inspiration. We recommend everyone check it out!
Eating The World 