There is a new food truck coming to Bloomington-Normal this fall.
Co-owners Junior Nsumbu and his partner Pore are looking to offer something new to the area with Maison P&J, bringing authentic African food to the heart of the Midwest.
Nsumbu is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo but has also worked and lived in Morocco. Nsumbu said he is hoping to represent more than just Congolese food, with plans in store for a changing menu to feature some of the best dishes from across the continent.
Part of that vision includes the truck itself, which will have a map of Africa and moveable pins to show where the daily dish is from.
“This is also trying to let people know a little bit about, where's Africa, where's Congo, where's this country?” he said.
Junior and Pore developed menu items like Congolese fu fu, Moroccan tagines and Senegalese fish—items which made their coworkers drool during lunch breaks at Rivian.
Although Maison P&J has not officially opened, their social media has gained traction after a series of warmup tasting events, garnering thousands of views on Facebook and YouTube.
“The goal was to get the feedback,” Nsumbu said, “So do they really like the food? If they do, what was their favorite dishes? To be honest, according to what they say, all the dishes stand out,” Nsumbu said.
Nsumbu is bringing Maison P&J to the area at an ideal time—as Bloomington-Normal is experiencing a growth in both Congolese and Cameroonian populations.
“The goal is to bring people together,” he said. “We are trying to bring all of the best African dishes together so that you can bring people together.”
With one more tasting event this month and a planned opening in late September, Nsumbu said he has been figuring out places to park the food truck and a general plan of how they are going to operate. They’re giving themselves six months to get off the ground; for now, that means juggling a new business and their jobs at Rivian.
Nsumbu said he believes it will work. With what he sees as a high demand for African cuisines, he sees them taking a regional approach in the future—and expanding into a catering business, too.
“We want it to be not really a restaurant, but a place where people can come and enjoy the good atmosphere, the good networking and also, the way I think we are going to design it, is just to reflect Africa,” Nsumbu said.
“It's a little bit of a big dream, but we start small. Step by step, we’re going to move forward.”
