The restaurant got the name because her customers would say “Let’s go to Soso’s”. There is an African grocery store a few doors down in the same building, so it all functions as a sort of community center. Soso says she keeps busy. She says she likes to cook for her community. She made her reputation cooking for weddings and other celebrations. She brings real authenticity.

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The restaurant has been open just under one year. It is her first restaurant which is important to know because we hear stories of immigrant owned restaurants where there they are on the third time around. That is the nature of these small, independent places. It is what we celebrate at Ethnosh. Sometimes the origin stories are bold adventures. Sometimes they are difficult journeys. This one is a rescue. Solange and her family came to Dayton from Rwanda in a wartime, fleeing from a culture of genocide. They were refugees, helped by the Catholic church. Her father was from Hong Kong, her mother from Rwanda. Her son and helper is Angelo. He was born in America.
 

They are not long from Africa. There is a lot they haven’t changed. It is evident in the cuisine. The flavors might seem new. The presentations might seem unfamiliar. Things are tasty and delicious in different ways. There is peanut butter in the stew. They serve roasted goat. If you’ve always wanted to taste plantains, here is your chance and they are the kind of good that changes flavor in your mouth. Reading the menu is a little bit like solving a puzzle. Most of the places we go make an super effort to place their worlds in our culture. At SOSO, they keep it real. It’s a small place. You’ll be glad you found it.