Udo’s African Market grand opening

Michael Udo operates the West African grocery and restaurant with his wife Margaret. They have three children: Michelle, Michael and Monique, and a seven-month-old grandchild, Elilah Reese. “I want to thank everyone of you here,” said Mike Udo during the grand opening. “It has been a long journey.” They had initially hoped to open at the new location one year ago in September 2023 but were delayed. “Mike always wanted to own a business,” said his cousin Dr. Nse Ntukidem.“He has been relentless in that.”

Photo by Tesha M. Christensen

Former Udos

Posted Wednesday, November 13, 2024 12:11 pm

On Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, the Udo family officially opened their new location at 755 Snelling Ave N. Formerly located at the corner of Pascal and University, Udo’s African Grocery & Restaurant began operating in 2010. Michael and Margaret had found it difficult to keep jobs while two of their three children were in and out of the hospital with sickle cell anemia. Udo’s sells authentic food and spices of West African origin, and with the new expansion will add a larger grocery area plus a restaurant.

“This is a great day,” said Dorothy Bridges of the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA). “I’m thrilled our organization is part of this.”

Among the items sold at Udo’s include: authentic African Food products, palm oil, plantain fufu, beans flour, Peanuts, periwinkle, hot pepper powder, honey beans, black eye beans, indo mie, snails, dried fish, smoked chicken, goat meat, smoked shrimp, ugba, stock fish, cassava flour, pounded yam, garri, Farina, semolina, malta Guinness, maltina drinks, ogi/akamu, egusi, ogbono, plantain chips, Royco, corned beef, black soap, aboniki, rob, alabukun powder, Abacha (cassava flakes), Utazi leaves both dried and frozen, Ugu both dried and frozen, bitter leaves both dried and frozen, and Tiger nuts.