Chef pairs African cuisine with Washington wine at winery in Pierce County
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- Nelly Some launched Mvinyo Winery in 2024 to pair wines with spices from African cuisines.
- Nelly’s African Kitchen offers catering, classes and personal chef services.
- Some hosts formal sit-down dinners every two months and a tasting room by appointment.
Hot barbecued peri peri chicken. A refreshing Moroccan salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and onions, melded together with couscous and cumin. African samosas filled with beef or vegetables, with a dash of heat from the juices of smoked peppers crushed into a sauce.
After Nelly Some moved from Kenya to the U.S. around 2004, she began trying to pair African dishes with her favorite wines. But it wasn’t easy.
“Normally it’s easy, I mean, you talk about crackers, it’s typically crackers and cheese,” Some said in an interview May 20. “ ... but when you go to spices, you have to be good at what you do, both the food and the wine.”
In 2024, Some launched Mvinyo Winery, offering a line of varietals specially designed to pair with the spices in African cuisines, as well as those from Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
Her other business, Nelly’s African Kitchen, offers her personal chef services, catering, team-building events and cooking classes, all featuring dishes from across the African continent. A live, in-person cooking class with three or more courses costs $350 per person.
There’s a lack of opportunities for Americans to enjoy African food, both in Washington state and across the country, Some said. As a former tour guide in Kenya, Some said her “wine pairing and food is all about giving people experiences.”
“ ... there’s so many great spices there, great recipes, but it’s hard for a common American to figure out where to find it,” Some said. “They like African food, but they don’t know how to go about it.”
Born in the countryside in Kenya, Some moved to the U.S. and worked as a caregiver for about 17 years. She later became the owner and manager of several adult family homes before transitioning to start her winery and catering businesses based in Gig Harbor.
Some sources all of her wines from the eastern part of Washington state. It’s hard to choose a favorite, she said, but she highlighted the bold, fruity notes in her Gogo Merlot, which pairs well with meat. It’s named in honor of her grandmother, who raised her: “Gogo” means “grandmother” in the Kalenjin language of Kenya.
Her Rafiki Rosé is named for the Swahili word for “friend.” That wine pairs well with “spicy foods, smoked meats, ricotta or goat cheese,” the winery’s website says.
A good pairing is one where the spice in the food isn’t overpowering the wine, Some said.
“Most of my wines and my food, I’m very careful to make sure that they don’t fight, the flavors don’t fight,” she said. “... I call them drama-free.”
On May 23, Some hosted a five-course dinner with six wines at the Gig Harbor Yacht Club, supporting the Wounded Warrior Project in honor of Memorial Day. She hosts these sit-down dinners featuring a range of dishes from multiple African countries every two months, she told The News Tribune. She is planning another one in either Tacoma or Gig Harbor and updates will be posted to the winery’s Instagram.
In the future, Some said, she hopes to start a food truck and expand her business into a national brand. She’s also looking for a larger permanent home for her tasting room in Gig Harbor. Guests can visit a small tasting room at Some’s personal residence by appointment only.
“I also want to inspire other people, both Americans and immigrants, that you know what, if I can do it, you can do it,” Some said. “... I feel that there are so many Americans that take really the opportunity they have in this country for granted.”
