- Harlem has a history so beautiful.
So different types of foods, you can find.
So the only thing that was missing is the Somali food.
If you want to start somewhere, something,
it has to be Harlem.
- All roads definitely lead to Harlem and lead to home.
That is so beautiful.
My name is Tren'ness Woods-black,
Harlem's queen of hospitality
and the granddaughter of Sylvia Woods,
"the Queen of Soul Food."
Over the past 25 years,
I've made my mark in the culinary world as an entrepreneur,
philanthropist and event curator.
My heart has always been in Harlem.
So I'll be sitting down for a one-on-one conversation
with local culinary voices,
to find out where they started,
how they're building for the future
and their deep ties to our beloved village.
- Vee isn't at work yet. Vee doesn't know
- Oh my God.
- Oh my God. Hi sis.
- How are you?
- You look so go-
- You look fabulous, oh my God.
- Thank you. Oh my God.
- Good to see you.
- I always feel like extra yummy when I see you.
- Me too, you know,
you have that spirit, like when I see you,
oh my God that's Tren'ness.
Even if you don't see me,
Tren'ness, how are you?
- Mona, my beautiful sister.
Thank you so much for taking time away
from your delicious restaurant to come hang out
and have a quick chat with me.
- Why not?
When you called me, I was like,
of course I will be there
cause you've always be there for me.
My name is Mona Birjeeb.
I'm from Somalia.
I'm the founder of Safari restaurant.
The only Somali restaurant in New York city,
especially in Harlem.
Since I was a child,
even though I didn't cook, I was always around the food,
I helped my mom to get the seasoning,
the items she needed to cook.
So years later I moved to New York.
I met new friends and then they always asked me,
are you Ethiopian?
And I said, no, I'm from Somalia.
It was early 2015.
And I was kind of tired of working in the banking.
I wanted to do something different.
So when me and my husband spoke about it,
I was like, let's go ahead and do it.
I quit my job and focused on opening Safari.
It's a bit risky, you know,
something we never did and something that's never done
in New York city.
So that's how the whole thing started.
- So what's everyone's favorite dish?
If you go to Safari, what do you want everyone to try?
- If you never tried Somali food
then I would recommend the roasted goat.
Takes like eight hours to make it.
- Oh it must be so tender.
- So it's not like easy.
It's like a process.
It's tender, very soft.
The mango curry.
- Hmm mm.
- As soon as people try it with the green sauce,
the banana we eat with,
- Oh yes.
- They fall in love with it.
- So when people think about curry,
they think about Indian food or Thai food,
but let's talk about ingredients
that are indigenous to Safari
that you just had to have on your menu.
- Yeah um, like Somali food is like based on the seasoning.
You know, we have our own seasoning.
Like we mix it up,
the cumin, the curry, the turmeric.
Like you know all those flavors that would make Somali food.
- I love the authenticity and every single bite,
you know, when I first walked in,
I didn't know what to expect,
but the smell that hit my nose, I was like,
oh my gosh, whatever that is, that's cooking.
Just bring it out to me and just keep it coming.
The thought of being able to taste my delicious,
What are the they?
The little pastries?
- Sambusa?
- The sambusas!
- Sambusa is like the Somali pastries.
It's like a Jamaican patty but crunchier.
It has a filling, chicken, beef or veggies.
So it's light fried, its homemade.
The dough is homemade too.
So everything is from the scratch.
- I've literally walked by,
and I've seen like a line of people waiting to get it
with my favorite tea.
- The Somali is spicy.
- Yes.
It's like a chai,
but we have natural ingredients
like cinnamon and bay leaf,
- Mmm.
- so many seasoning.
- And that's what I taste,
and that's what I love.
I feel like I'm tasting history.
I've been transported to Somalia.
So all of the places that you could have chosen
to bring your culture and your food
to any one of the five boroughs,
why our beautiful village of Harlem?
- Why not?
Look around.
Harlem has a history, so beautiful.
So different types of foods you can find.
So the only thing that was missing is the Somali food.
If you want to start somewhere, something,
it has to be Harlem.
- And that's what it's all about
and what a beautiful place to do it in.
Most of the restaurants that are here have migrated
from other places.
Like my grandmother migrated from the South.
And one of the reasons why she wanted to open Sylvia's
is because she wanted to make sure that there was food
that she was accustomed to.
And I see that that's the same thing.
When I go to Safari,
I'm always going to see my Somalian brothers and sisters,
or, you know,
116th street is where you can feel like
you've just been transported to the continent.
- For 116th, you know,
it was like only West African or the Ethiopian food,
but now like, you know, Safari’s part of it.
- So now that you have become like
the Somalian food restaurant.
What's next?
- To have Safari in all the five boroughs.
And after that go into nationwide.
I mean, before the pandemic,
we had customers telling us,
when are you coming to Brooklyn?
When you come into Connecticut?
You know, so our next location was to open Brooklyn.
And from there do all the five boroughs.
- Oh, wow.
I mean, that is amazing,
but I have to tell you something,
the 116th street in Harlem location
is always going to be my favorite.
- It's always authentic. Nothing is gonna to change.
Same place.
That's like home.
- Well, Mona,
you have done an absolutely yummy job
in bringing your country's flavor and culture
to our great village of Harlem, which you now reside in.
So I cannot wait to just taste Safari’s
all over.
So thank you so much for coming.
- Thank you. Thank you for having me
and without you, the support we get,
I don't think Safari, with the pandemic, it would survive.
So we appreciate you.
- Oh my gosh.
I am my sister's keeper and we are in this together.
- Thank you-
- We are Harlem strong sis.
So thank you.
- Thank you too.