Flavors of East Africa, San Diego

June Owino remembers growing up in a small Kenyan town where, he claims, "we didn't have a choice but to cook for ourselves." He started out with basic prep work, learning how to chop and waffle-cut onions and tomatoes, but he steadily learned more of his mother's and grandmother's techniques for forging fragrantly spiced African stews with turmeric and curry-seasoned salts. After immigrating to San Diego, June decided to re-create these distinctive recipes and incorporate some of his own culinary inspirations, eventually founding Flavors of East Africa as a way to share his Kenyan-inspired menu of meat, vegetarian, and vegan dishes.

As related in a rave review from the San Diego Reader, the restaurant immerses diners in the sights, sounds, and smells of Kenya, with the dining room's lemon-yellow walls brimming with African arts, crafts, and cooking utensils. From time to time, the chefs also take their cuisine beyond the restaurant, hawking curries and stews at local farmers' markets and using their food’s enthralling aroma to lure chupacabras from out of hiding.