Latest news with #MaryamWright
CBC
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Award-winning 'Afro-forward' restaurant to open café at Museum London
Social Sharing A unique London restaurant that focuses on culture through food is opening a new café at Museum London later this summer. Yaya's Kitchen, run by husband and wife team Malvin and Maryam Wright, is currently a pop-up supper club operating out of the Food Incubator Hub in Old East Village. The restaurant has won local awards, including London Inc. Magazine's Best Fine Dining Restaurant in 2024. Since opening in 2017, the Wright's have offered diners a culturally educational meal when they host their weekly dinner. "It's a continuation or an expansion of our existing culinary project," Malvin said. "We always tell our guests we are not your usual restaurant by any stretch of the imagination." He describes the food as "afro-forward" and from no particular country. The couple serves dishes from the "global Black experience" that many diners would not have tried before, something they plan to bring to the café's lunch menu at the museum. "As we always tell our guests, even at our restaurant: we don't serve jerk chicken or jollof rice," Malvin said, adding that if it can be found at a supermarket, they aren't interested. "Because there is so much more, right?" Museum is 'thrilled' The Wrights said they reached out to Museum London on multiple occasions to pitch the idea of a café to them. Their vision resonated with the museum, which is thrilled for the café to open, the musuem's spokesperon Abby Vincent said. "Food is such an important part of culture and expression. Having diverse food offerings is really exciting." Vincent said the Museum had been looking for a tenant to take over the space after the Rhino Lounge Café closed in 2024. Wright said finalizing the menu will take several weeks and will include introducing staff to new ingredients. He added he wants to take time to create what he described as a "sincere and honest representation" of diversity. Wright said they are hoping to plan a grand opening soon, but can't set a date just yet. "We're aiming for the first or second week of June, but it's out of our hands," he said, explaining that a lot of work needs to be finished on the physical space.
CBC
16-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
From care to cuisine: Black History Month celebrated at London hospital
The importance of taking into consideration skin tone and complexion when treating injuries was highlighted during a Black History Month exhibit at London's University Hospital. Nursing student Nyechuor Deng showed clinicians the Monk Skin Tone Scale, which gives nurses and other healthcare professionals a way to identify pressure injuries on individuals who have darker skin tones. Deng said pressure injuries can be missed if differences in skin tone and complexion are not taken into account. "It's important that we have more of these inclusive tools to prevent biased healthcare and to heal that mistrust that a lot of people of colour experience in hospitals," she said. Deng is a part of Western University's Black Student Leadership University Experience program, which pairs emerging leaders at the school with mentors and provides opportunities for them to develop their leadership skills. Having a community of Black professionals to network with and help develop their skills is important, she said. "There's not a lot of black nurses in Canada and I've always wanted to be a representation of my community," Deng said. "Having that leadership and having that mentorship has been invaluable." Cultural lunch and art display Deng's exhibit was part of a larger Black History Month display at the London Health Sciences Centre. "We're really trying to bring awareness about black culture into our organization," said event organizer Cathy Wood. Wood is the Black health lead at LHSC. She said events like this are critical to creating a more inclusive and culturally sensitive environment in the city's hospitals. We're really trying to bring awareness about black culture into our organization - Cathy Wood "If we can do events like this where the Black community can see that LHSC is really invested in dismantling those systems of racism discrimination and oppression then we know that we will have folks feel safe within these walls," she said. Flavours from around the world Yaya's Kitchen, owned by husband and wife Malvin and Maryam Wright, served food from the global south. "We'll pick a grain from Egypt, spices from east Africa, an herb from the Caribbean and just create," Maryam Wright said. We believe that food is a journey - Maryam Wright Yaya's Kitchen began with meals served out of their backyard in 2017. Eventually they began holding monthly pop-up events and held their first supper club in 2019. They hope that showing variety in food will help introduce people to the variety within Black culture as well. "We believe that food is a journey. What our forefathers ate is not what our great-grandparents ate or what we're eating," she said. "Food evolves and changes from places to spaces. And that is the journey we want to share with other people." Personal Prints Nigerian-born artist Amsa Yaro was also at the event, helping people produce their own creation using stamps and paint. "It might only take five minutes, but it is their own and it has brightened up their day," she said. "People are curious about new things and this is an opportunity to show them something new."
