Source: LEO V. KAPLAN via Lansing City Pulse
Oluwaseun “Sean” Sipeolu learned to cook by example.
Growing up in Nigeria, he watched his parents and older relatives cook and helped where he could. At first he’d just grind the salt or pepper for them.
“It’s part of the culture,” he said. “You cook with your parents, and when they cook, you watch them.”
Now living in Lansing with his mother and sister, Sipeolu is running his own restaurant downtown. At a ribbon cutting last week, Sipeolu told the crowd that Jollof Afro-Caribbean Lounge would be a much-needed nighttime hangout spot.
“People always say, ‘We always look for a place to hang out,’” he said. “And sometimes we go to Detroit or to Grand Rapids, and we say, ‘Why can’t we have one here in Lansing? This is the capital of Michigan.’”
Sipeolu said later that the restaurant, which is open until midnight most days and 2 a.m. Fridays, represents the changing culture of downtown Lansing.
