Business owner Lina Kan remembers looking for authentic Nigerian food when she moved to Oahu from Maryland. From that point, she was determined to start her own Nigerian food business in Hawaii.
“I did a pop-up in Liliha in March 2021; from there, we started doing different events around Oahu,” Kan says. “From events, I wanted to take things to the next level, which was opening a food truck.”
The Enchanted by Aloha food truck officially opened in June.
“This is the first Nigerian food truck in Hawaii; I’m the only registered Nigerian food business in Hawaii,” Kan says. “I fell in love with Hawaii (when I moved here), so I wanted to incorporate something from Hawaii (‘aloha’) into my business name.”
The biz offers traditional Nigerian dishes, including suya, or grilled spicy steak ($20), seafood okra soup with fufu ($35), jollof rice with suya or jerk chicken with vegetables ($20), and steamed rice served with red sauce ($25).
“Seafood okra soup is one of my signature dishes,” Kan says. “I have my own style in making what I make. I want to introduce customers to all kinds of different soups so they can try different flavors.
“We do two types of rice — steamed rice and jollof rice, which is the most popular,” she adds. “The steamed rice is like a Nigerian stew with protein. Eventually, I’ll be doing grilling at the food truck. I want to introduce people to Nigeria’s street food, like suya, which is a grilled steak. You can eat it over steamed rice, or you can eat it with vegetables.”
For updates on the food truck’s schedule, follow the biz on Instagram (@enchantedbyaloha).
Enchanted by Aloha
Various locations
• Call: 510-509-4901
• Instagram: @enchantedbyaloha
• How to order: By phone, in person or via Instagram direct message
• How to pay: Cash, credit cards and Apple Pay accepted
