You’ve ever heard the story of the phoenix that rose from ashes and gained life as it never died?
Well, Jane Wanjiru, a Kenyan based in the US, is our phoenix as she has risen from nothing to something in a land far away from home.
Jane Wanjiru is the owner of Safari Njema Restaurant, a Kenyan cuisine hotel based in Seattle, Washington. Her hotel is known for selling delicious East-African dishes, enabling Kenyans living in the US to have a taste of their motherland despite being miles away.
Some of Kenya’s favorite foods served in Safari Njema Restaurant include Mukimo, Tilapia, Ugali, and Sukuma.
US-based Kenyans love this restaurant because they have a chance to interact with fellow Kenyans while waiting for the food to be cooked. The restaurant works under the “order first” policy.
Well, away from Safari Njema Restaurant, let’s focus on our main topic today, Jane; a perfect story of grass to grace.
Believe it or not, Jane landed in the US in 1990 as a woman looking for a better opportunity like any other ordinary Kenya who relocates abroad.
Off all the jobs Jane could get in the land of milk and honey, Jane got a job as a caregiver for older people. She held to this job for 15 long years. Interestingly, she also worked as a caterer on weekends to double her income.
What she did not know was that catering skills enticed many as people advised her to start her restaurant. She took the advice seriously and started working towards realizing it.
Unlike many people who start businesses hastily, Jane took her time preparing. She first went back to school to study hospitality and catering for one year, after which she took six months before starting Safari Njema. Her prowess in cooking Kenyan cuisines, a skill she learned from her mother, was a plus to her.
Officially opened in 2010, Safari Njema has grown tremendously to serve over 100 customers in a day. Jane notes that Fridays are usually her busiest days because Muslims flock to her restaurant. She claims that Muslims love her restaurant because she bought the establishment from a Muslim who also had many customers.
To Jane, success requires hard work and, more importantly, patience.
We can proudly say that Jane is of the most successful Kenyans in the US, and from the look of her journey, she is right about hard work and patience.
