Lynda’s African Delicacies is quickly becoming a local favorite in Irvine, California. Coined as the best African food in Irvine, it offers a wide selection of flavorful African dishes, from savory jollof rice to mouthwatering suya and fufu. The takeout eatery includes vegetarian options, grilled meats and seafood. Just a short walk away is a hair braiding salon, which also operates as a beauty supply store, selling braiding hair, hair products, scarves and more. As one customer who frequents both locations weekly put it, Lynda’s businesses take care of their customers from the inside out—through the nourishment of their bodies to the adornment of their crowns.
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Lynda never expected to own a restaurant
Lynda U., a devoted wife and mother, moved from Nigeria to the United States and settled in Southern California 19 years ago. Cooking has always been a part of her life, and not wanting to lose her customs, traditions and love of food, she began serving meals to customers while braiding hair at her home. That soon transitioned into her first venture, Lynda’s Hair & Beauty Supply Store, where she’d bring home-cooked food to her customers. Later, she developed a food truck and eventually opened her current takeout restaurant. But culinary work was never her initial plan.
“I opened the hair business when I was pregnant with my now 17-year-old, and I was wondering what can I do to stay home in order to make some income,” she told Blavity. “And it was just like a joke at first. I did one of my niece’s hair. When she went to school, everybody started asking her, ‘Who did your hair?’ And I built my clientele that way.”
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The hair business grew quickly, especially considering the area’s small Black population…