BALTIMORE — What started as cooking for friends in a college dorm room has blossomed into a thriving food truck business for Jemimah Yakubu, who goes by Chef Mimah.
While studying to become an attorney in college, Yakubu discovered a passion for cooking after making food for friends at school. That discovery led her to put law school on hold and launch Mimah's African Cuisine in 2023.
"I put law school on hold because this was really my dream, I wanted to kind of start the business and get it to where I want it to be and then head back into law school and eventually become an attorney," Yakubu said.
Chef Mimah is bringing good eats to Baltimore. Hear how she plans to continue her work while pursuing her goal of becoming an attorney
Her food truck features popular Nigerian dishes like Jollof Rice and Egusi, bringing authentic cuisine to communities where it might not otherwise be accessible.
"Because, I basically wanted to share Nigerian cuisine with people in places where Nigerian cuisine isn't really accessible," Yakubu said.
The mobile format was intentional. Rather than opening a traditional restaurant, Yakubu chose a food truck to reach more people across different neighborhoods.
"Which is why I actually started a food truck, instead of like a restaurant or like a carry out. But I wanted to take this everywhere to different places so I can actually take the food to the people," she said.
Over the past two years, her truck has appeared at numerous events, including festivals like Afram and others throughout Baltimore. Yakubu says the most rewarding part is introducing newcomers to Nigerian cuisine.
"It's always exciting to hear from people who haven't actually tried Nigerian food before," she said.
Despite her business success, Yakubu hasn't abandoned her legal aspirations. She currently works part-time as a paralegal while running her food truck and plans to pursue both careers long-term.
"I do part-time paralegal work for a law firm and I do my food truck and the rest of the things when I'm not working at that law office, but long term, I want to become an attorney. But I am going to keep my business going and I eventually want to have more food trucks in different parts of Maryland," she said.
For Yakubu, who moved from Nigeria to America, the ability to get an education, start a business and pursue multiple goals represents the American Dream in action.
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