Father and son pitch West African restaurant for Bloomington competition
Shaban Laban and his mother Raya Laban presented their vision for Nuna West African Cuisine to the Bloomington City Council on July 24, pitching the restaurant as a way to better reflect the city's cultural diversity and strengthen community connections.
The Labans outlined their proposal for Nuna, a new West African restaurant concept they hope to establish in Bloomington as part of the Hatch Bloomington competition. The pitch was not a legislative vote but rather a presentation of their business concept to city officials.
Raya Laban, who immigrated to the United States two decades ago from Togo, learned to cook West African cuisine from her grandmother. The restaurant would serve authentic dishes including fried plantains, jalaf rice, and Goosey soup. The Labans emphasized that Nuna would do more than serve food—it would act as a cultural bridge within the community.
The things that we have in the city do not accurately reflect that and we want to start changing that little by little and we're going to start by using this restaurant to do so," Shaban Laban told the council. He added that the restaurant "would be a way for you to further understand the different cultures we have in this city and further connect us on a deeper level.
The presentation highlighted how the restaurant could serve dual purposes: introducing Bloomington residents to authentic West African cuisine while also addressing gaps in cultural representation. The Labans framed their business venture as an opportunity for economic development that would simultaneously enrich the community culturally.
The Hatch Bloomington competition supports new business concepts in the city. While no formal council vote was recorded on this presentation, the pitch represents one of the competition entries being considered by city leadership.
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Pitch for Nuna West African Cuisine at Hatch Bloomington Competition
Shaban Laban, accompanied by his mother Raya Laban, outlined their proposal for Nuna West African Cuisine, a new restaurant concept for Bloomington. They detailed their culinary offerings, including W fried plantains, jalaf rice, and Goosey soup, and underscored the restaurant's role in enhancing cultural representation and promoting community connection within Bloomington.
the things that we have in the city do not accurately reflect that and we want to start changing that little by little and we're going to start by using this restaurant to do so
it would be a way for you to further understand the different cultures we have in this city and further connect us on a deeper level
Source document
[0:17] hello my name is Shaban Laban this is my
[0:18] mother Raya Laban and if we were to win
[0:21] the hatch Bloomington competition we
[0:22] would use the money to put together a
[0:24] new West African restaurant called Nuna
[0:26] West African cuisine from a young age my
[0:28] mother was deeply involved in the
[0:30] kitchen working with her grandmother in
[0:31] Togo before she immigrated to the United
[0:33] States where she has lived here for
[0:34] about two decades now within those two
[0:36] decades we have all seen how diverse
[0:38] Bloomington can be as a city but the
[0:41] things that we have in the city do not
[0:42] accurately reflect that and we want to
[0:44] start changing that little by little and
[0:46] we're going to start by using this
[0:47] restaurant to do so in the restaurant
[0:50] we'll have different types of unique
[0:51] foods for people to try such as W fried
[0:54] plantains jalaf rice and Goosey soup
[0:56] just to name a few popular examples um
[0:59] with all these different foods people
[1:01] will be able to come into the restaurant
[1:02] and try them for the first time to
[1:04] really understand just what it is that
[1:05] West African people actually eat on a
[1:07] daily basis which will help them further
[1:09] understand the different cultures that
[1:11] can be found in the continent we really
[1:14] hope that you consider voting for West
[1:16] Africa a Cuisine called Nuna because if
[1:19] you were to vote for us You' be getting
[1:21] more than just a restaurant in return it
[1:23] would be a way for you to further
[1:24] understand the different cultures we
[1:26] have in this city and further connect us
[1:27] on a deeper level thank you for
[1:29] considering us yes
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