Florence Karp moved from Nigeria to Minnesota in 1997 and quickly immersed herself in a community of African entrepreneurs, working as a mortgage broker, life coach, published author, and motivational speaker. Surrounded by so many self-made people, Chef Flo noticed something that inspired yet another new business venture: Many of the entrepreneurs she met pined for traditional African meals but were too busy working all day to cook for themselves. And so, in January 2019, Chef Flo-K Foods’ Afric Sauce was born.

The versatile jarred product is a small-batch, ready-to-eat vegan sauce based on a traditional Nigerian stew. It’s made with tomatoes, onions, red bell peppers, water, tomato paste, canola oil, sea salt, cayenne pepper, curry powder, thyme, and citric acid. It can be used as a hot or cold dip, condiment, gravy, or marinade for veggies and proteins.

We used ours to make Chef Flo’s tasty jollof rice, a hearty chickpea and collard greens stew, and fried plantains. Chef Flo, who resides in Brooklyn Park these days, shares recipes for all those dishes and more (chicken wings, spaghetti, etc.) on her website, making dinner prep a snap.

Wanna try Chef Flo’s Afric sauce, available in both mild and hot varieties for $6.99 a bottle? Shop online at africsauce.com or locally at Kowalski’s Markets, the Hyvee in Robbinsdale, North Market in Minneapolis, Seasoned Specialty Food Market in St. Paul, and Tropical Foods Supermarket in Brooklyn Park. 🔥🇳🇬🔥