Dera Nd-Ezuma stands in front of Suya Suya West African Grill.
When entering Suya Suya West African Grill, customers are greeted with Nigerian music and the smell of blended spices traditionally found in West Africa.
Suya is a type of grilled meat that is primarily served on the streets of Nigeria. What makes suya unique is the peanut dry rub seasoning that is roasted and coated on the meat — whether it be chicken, steak or shrimp.
To owner Dera Nd-Ezuma, the food is a reminder of his home.
“Suya is more like a treat back home,” Dera Nd-Ezuma said. “It’s like, your dad goes to work, he has a good day at work, or at the end of the week, he just wants to do something nice for the family, he comes back home with suya. So, it was more of an excitement, more of a treat.”
Four years ago, Dera Nd-Ezuma opened his first Suya Suya restaurant at Northern Liberties at 400 Fairmount Ave. Dera Nd-Ezuma opened Suya Suya because he felt there was a misrepresentation of Nigerian culture and an overall lack of local Nigerian restaurants. To find African food, he had to “make a trip.”
“Why do we locate our restaurant in places where only specific people can get to?” Dera Nd-Ezuma asked. “Why don’t you just put it out there for everyone … Why don’t you just locate your restaurant and put it in places where anyone and everyone can just come and try it out and let them judge for themselves if they’re gonna like it or not?”
Dera Nd-Ezuma’s mission of spreading his Nigerian culture has reached students like John Danley ’27, who took notice of the restaurant through the window of his apartment in Lannon Hall last year. Ever since then, Danley has been a regular, stopping by every other week.
“It’s a consistently welcoming cultural restaurant here in the area,” Danley said. “To have something really different to widen your palate, I think it’s a welcomed addition, always.”
Suya Suya officially expanded to City Avenue in October 2024 and has become a staple for the surrounding community. The restaurant is located at 177 City Ave., outside of Lannon and Rashford Halls on the Hawk Hill campus.
One of the main reasons Dera Nd-Ezuma decided to expand to St. Joe’s was his biggest fan:s: his wife, Sarah Nd-Ezuma ’10, and her parents, who are also St. Joe’s alum.
“They’re part of the reasons why I actually went to open up a restaurant,” Dera Nd-Ezuma said. “When I cook, they were my number one fan[s]. They were so encouraging.”
Dera Nd-Ezuma said he feels most fulfilled when people come back to enjoy more of his food and his culture.
“Just having customers who come in, and then you see them come back again the same week and they just become your regulars, I can’t explain the kind of joy that brings,” Dera Nd-Ezuma said. “It just keeps you going. When you see the same people come in over and over … it goes a long way.”
Suya Suya has already made an impact on local customers along City Avenue like Femi Ade, a local second-generation Nigerian.
“My parents are not around anymore, and I feel that the food preparation here is closer to how I remember it,” Ade said. “I can prepare a lot of what they make here, but not to this degree. So, when I want the authenticity of Nigerian food, I come here.”
To Ade, suya is more than just food. It means “Nigerian.”
Sarah Nd-Ezuma believes food has a way of bringing people together and building relationships, which is integral for Dera Nd-Ezuma’s way of sharing his culture.
“For him, it literally transports him home,” Sarah Nd-Ezuma said. “It is his tie to Nigeria and to West Africa and makes him feel connected to his culture. To share that with others, it brings together a sense of harmony in this world that we don’t always see.”
Dera Nd-Ezuma’s goal to break barriers and bridge cultural gaps is integral to his work and what Suya Suya represents. Sarah Nd-Ezuma said it derives from him believing in himself and wanting to share his culture.
“I’m incredibly proud of him,” Sarah Nd-Ezuma said. “It takes incredible confidence to bet on yourself and to bet on something that you feel really passionate about … To see that come to life is really magical.”