At The Village, Community Service Goes Beyond Bringing Nigerian Homecooking to Downtown Pawtucket
The Village Restaurant, one of the few pillars of Nigerian Cuisine in Rhode Island, started as a side hustle in Toyin Wilcox Olatunji's home kitchen. Selling plates from her home Olatunji was already attracting diners from all over New England eager to get a taste of homecooked Nigerian delicacies from stew to jollof rice.
So even before The Village officially opened its doors to Pawtucket in 2008, Olatunji’s cooking was a beloved staple within her local Rhode Island community, a special source of nourishing, lovingly homecooked Nigerian food.
Toyin Olatunji’s son, Ajib Olatunji recounted: “People came from Boston, New England just to get our food, and she was cooking out of our kitchen in the house. So eventually it got way too big, so she wanted to go downtown.
Now, even though The Village has outgrown Olatunji’s home kitchen and has bustling locations in Pawtucket and Providence, the family-run restaurant has not forgotten the love and healthy nourishment a home-style meal provides.
With those values in mind, The Village has partnered with The Empowerment Factory, a local youth education nonprofit to promote The Healthy Living Community Event. The event is two days of free family fun in Pawtucket’s Slater Memorial Park from September 6-7, with bouncy houses, community artmaking and raffle prizes - including coupons for restaurants including The Village.
By holding The Healthy Living Community Event alongside restaurants like The Village, The Empowerment Factory aims at celebrating Rhode Island’s rich cultural diversity and encouraging community wellness. This mission resonates particularly with The Village, a family owned restaurant whose first diners were Wilcox Olatunji’s children.
Ajib Olatunji, who helps his mother own and run The Village noted: “a healthy community starts with our youth. Once our youth is on the right track and our youth has the resources, you build from there.”
Ajib Olatunji noted how bringing Nigerian food to Pawtucket has deepened the tight knit within the neighborhood. He has come to know regulars by name and even see their children grow up eating at the restaurant.
Ajib noted the lack of Nigerian cuisine in the area prior to The Village: “That's why we picked downtown Pawtucket just to bring more diversity to the scene. so having all different cultures come in one place, trying a food that they haven't tried before, is what brings the community together.”
The Village is proud to have partnered with The Empowerment Factory for The Healthy Living Community Event, where they will offer gift cards as part of the raffle prizes.
In addition to the chance to win gift cards from their favorite restaurants, attendees were treated to a full array of free family activities including artmaking, a bouncy house, and petting zoo. Stop by Slater Memorial Park for family fun and the chance to win gift cards from The Village and other renowned local restaurants.