Socafro – Alistair ‘JD’ Jeje

Description

Despite a successful career in retail, Alistair ‘JD’ Jeje always had a nagging feeling that there was something else he should be doing. It was only when everything ground to a halt during the pandemic and he had time to sit down and really think about what comes naturally to him that it hit him.

That thing that makes JD tick? It’s cooking.

JD has been cooking at his food stall, Socafro Kitchen, since 2020 and hasn’t looked back. The word ‘Socafro’ is a mash-up of JD’s two favourite types of music: the rhythmic beats of Soca from Trinidad & Tobago and the soulful lines of Afrobeat from Nigeria. This combination reflects JD’s Afro-Caribbean dual heritage as well as the recipes in this book, from jerk chicken to jollof rice. It’s not only the food that JD loves, but the food he loves to share.

Alistair Jeje, affectionately known by many as JD, is the proud proprietor of Socafro Kitchen, a bustling street food venture in Waterford City offering an enticing fusion of Caribbean and Nigerian flavours. This culinary blend pays homage to his roots: his mother hails from Trinidad and his father from Nigeria. The name Socafro comes from JD’s passion for two distinct music genres: the vibrant rhythms of Caribbean soca and the pulsating beats of Afro tunes.

JD was born in England but his formative years were spent in Lagos, where his mother and sister introduced him to the world of cooking. JD believes that your true calling is what you can do effortlessly, and for him, cooking is just that. JD’s larger-than-life charisma is undeniably magnetic, and his radiant smile and treasured recipes lift up everyone who meets him and eats his food.