Bistak Afro-Caribbean Food Store owner Akin and store manager Dan Dada-Bosunde stand at the front of the Prince Albert location. (Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff)

By Jeff D’Andrea

The taste of Africa

Longtime Saskatoon Afro-Caribbean store opens location in Prince Albert

Jun 4, 2021 | 2:25 PM

For years, African populations in Prince Albert had to drive to Saskatoon in order to get some of their favourite foods to make traditional dishes from their homelands.

The Bistak Afro-Caribbean Food Store in Saskatoon had so many people from the Gateway to the North come over throughout the years and wished there was a store in P.A.

“A lot of people go from Prince Albert to the Saskatoon store to buy. So they say ‘oh, you guys should come to P.A. You guys should come to Prince Albert and open a store,” said manager Dan Dada-Bosunde.

So they did. The Prince Albert location of the Bistak Afro-Caribbean Food Store will celebrate its first-month anniversary on June 8. Dada-Bosunde said close to 2,000 people have already come into the store in that time.

“We’ve had good sales so far, it’s very encouraging. So that really shows the people are happy,” Dada-Bosunde said. “It’s a nice place, the environment is safe, we have free parking space…It’s the place to be.”

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Dada-Bosunde said there are a lot of growing numbers of people and families either from Africa or of African heritage, especially those of Nigerian and Congolese descent. He said all the interest and the growing populations made it an easy decision to invest in Prince Albert.

The Bistak Afro-Carribean Food Store in Prince Albert. (Jeff D’Andrea/paNOW Staff)

Since the store opened, Dada-Bosunde said the store’s spices and spice blends have been hot ticket items.

“Everybody—Africans, Caribbean, Canadians, Haitians— all everybody wants is the African spice. We’ve got a lot of African spices like the pepper soup spice and a lot of African ingredients. Many people have never tasted this before,” Dada-Bosunde said. “There are growing numbers in Prince Albert and everybody wants to buy the spice. They’re very healthy and they’re very good, so everybody wants this stuff.”

And for those that aren’t familiar with African ingredients, Dada-Bosunde said the store staff is more than happy to help customers with what the ingredients can be used for—and how to prepare meals.

“The people in the store are also ready to advise you. We can advise them to make the food, how to cook it, how to preserve it,” he said. “It’s a one-stop shop for all African food.”

The store is on 17 St. West, just off of 2nd Ave West.

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Jeff.dandrea@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW