Jollof Afro-Caribbean Lounge gives downtown a hangout

Oluwaseun “Sean” Sipeolu learned to cook by example.

Growing up in Nigeria, he watched his parents and older relatives cook and helped where he could. At first he’d just grind the salt or pepper for them.

“It’s part of the culture,” he said. “You cook with your parents, and when they cook, you watch them.”

Now living in Lansing with his mother and sister, Sipeolu is running his own restaurant downtown. At a ribbon cutting last week, Sipeolu told the crowd that Jollof Afro-Caribbean Lounge would be a much-needed nighttime hangout spot.

“People always say, ‘We always look for a place to hang out,’” he said. “And sometimes we go to Detroit or to Grand Rapids, and we say, ‘Why can’t we have one here in Lansing? This is the capital of Michigan.’”

Sipeolu said later that the restaurant, which is open until midnight most days and 2 a.m. Fridays, represents the changing culture of downtown Lansing.

“We’re in a new era now,” he said. “There’s a lot of millennials and young adults who want to stay late.”

As for the “lounge” designation, Sipeolu said Jollof would provide a fun, casual atmosphere for that crowd. He will bring in DJs and live jazz performances on weekends, through there is no exact schedule yet.

“A lounge is designed for grown folks,” he said. “It’s not a club, but you can still dance.”

The restaurant’s opening exemplifies collaboration. The original idea came from Sipeolu’s mother, who was present at the ribbon-cutting and has a background in catering. Sipeolu took the reins and scouted out the downtown location with help from friends. Downtown Lansing Inc. provided some funding, and Alex Watkins of the Lansing Economic Development Corp. did much of the paperwork, including applying for a liquor license.

“It’s a lot of work to start” a restaurant, Sipeolu said. “People don’t know that. I didn’t know until I did it.”

That liquor license allows the establishment to serve a variety of cocktails, including both “regular American drinks” and “Caribbean and Afro-inspired cocktails,” he said.

Asked what “Afro-Caribbean” cuisine entails, Sipeolu said West African and Caribbean foods share similar backgrounds.

“Most of our seasonings here are from Africa, with a spice of Caribbean,” he said. “We share the same culture, in terms of food — we eat the same plantain together, we eat the same rice, the goat curry. We share that together.”

Sipeolu recommended newcomers to West African cuisine try the jollof rice, a spiced rice dish with many regional variants throughout West Africa. What remains consistent is its popularity.

“We usually say an occasion is not complete without jollof rice,” Sipeolu said. “If you go to a place where they’re celebrating an event, you must have jollof rice. And that’s why the name came to me.

“If you’re familiar with our culture, you eat jollof,” he continued, “and you know exactly what you’re gonna get.”