Joloff
Serving up flavorful Senegalese cuisine in a homey atmosphere, Joloff has been a Brooklyn institution for 25 years. Yet surprisingly the restaurant’s owner, “Pape” Konare Diagne, didn’t even start cooking until his mid-30s.
“I never cooked before moving to the United States,” says Pape (short for Papa; pronounced like “Pop”). When he moved to Brooklyn in 1990 from his native Dakar, the former law clerk roomed with younger siblings who, as a show of respect for their eldest brother, took turns preparing meals for the household. “The fact is, I did not want to wait for them to cook,” Pape, 64, says of what first inspired him to get in the kitchen. “And I started falling in love with cooking.”
After being laid off from his job as a shoe salesman, Pape sold home-cooked lunches — tomatoey stews over rice, and grilled meats marinated with lemon and onions — for members of the Senegalese community who worked in Downtown Brooklyn. He grew that into a successful catering business with his wife, Rama, before the couple opened Joloff in 1995, then in Clinton Hill on St. James and Fulton. (Since 2011, the restaurant’s been at its current Bed-Stuy location.)
“I had never worked in a restaurant before,” Pape says now, 25 years later. “But if you believe in something, and you work hard, and you love it — then you can make it.”
“Food doesn’t need to be spicy to be good. It’s mostly about flavor.”
Pape cites his grandmother Aminata, who was known back home for her skillful cooking, as the culinary inspiration behind Joloff. “I remember her saying, ‘Food doesn’t need to be spicy to be good,’” he says. “It’s mostly about flavor.”
This approach is evident in Joloff’s well-seasoned, vibrant dishes. Fan faves include the tiebou jeun (baked fish and fork-tender carrots, cabbage and cassava, cooked in a tomato-based sauce and served over jollof rice); yassa yapp (grilled lamb chops marinated and smothered in a lip-smacking lemon and onion sauce); and mafe tofu (a savory and warming peanut stew, packed with tofu and vegetables, served with couscous). And don’t sleep on the sides, including perfectly crisp fried yucca, sweet plantains and veggie-filled pastries called fataya legumes.
Pape prides himself on his menu’s extensive vegetarian and vegan options, recipes he created back when he used to cook from his apartment, sometimes for Rastafarian friends. “I didn't want them to come to my house, and everybody’s eating with them just watching us,” he says. “That’s not a Senegalese thing. When we cook, whoever is there is part of the meal — and you come eat with us.”
As for the restaurant’s namesake, Pape cooks his jollof in a stock of vegetables, fish and spices (there’s a vegan alternative too) for grains that pack a punch. And he is bemused by the Nigerian-Ghanaian rivalry over whose jollof is best. “My question to them is: Where is Jolof?” he says with a mischievous laugh. “Jolof was an empire in Senegal.”
“I want people to feel like they’re at home when they dine here,” Pape says of Joloff’s concept. The decor is cozy, with tablecloths made from West African textiles, an ancestor altar, and art by local and Senegalese artists dotting bright turquoise and lime green walls. A stage in the rear of the room, now displaying handmade dolls and cultural artifacts, has been graced by jazz bands and performance poets over the years.
Back in the ‘90s at its original location, Joloff was part of a network of Black-owned businesses in Fort Greene-Clinton Hill (including Brooklyn Moon and Frank’s Cocktail Lounge, which closed in April after nearly 50 years) that hosted spoken word nights where young poets such as Yasiin Bey, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu and Jessica Care Moore performed, pre-fame.
In accordance with social distancing rules, Joloff offers outdoor seating, weather permitting, with indoor dining available at 25% capacity. For safety reasons, however, Pape prefers for most customers to order delivery or takeout from their website.
While a global pandemic isn’t the backdrop he anticipated for the restaurant’s 25th anniversary this year, Pape is grateful to have sustained a successful business for so long, even as Brooklyn has changed all around him.
“I’m thankful to God and to my people because they’ve been very supportive,” he says. “I’ve been backed up by the African-American community since Day One. A lot of them have discovered Senegalese food through Joloff, and they have been the backbone of the business that’s gotten me to this point.”
1168 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, 718-230-0523, joloffjoloff.com
