Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Winooski News
WINOOSKI — Swimmers can grab some African cuisine this summer from chef Elom Essiba, whose Le Bon GoûT catering business is now serving meals at Myers Memorial Pool year round.
The food stand, which opened June 15, is just one step in Essiba’s plans to help bring more African cuisine to Vermont. Essiba and her family immigrated as refugees to Vermont from Togo in 2001.
She grew up in Barre and spent much of her time cooking traditional West African dishes with her mother. At the time, finding authentic African cuisine in Vermont was no small task, and Essiba recalled venturing north to Canada just to obtain the ingredients necessary to make the dishes she loved most, like goat meat soup or samosas.
“It was really hard to find African ingredients to cook well. We were able to find some here and there, but we have to come up with ways to make it authentic,” she said inside her newly minted concession stand next to the pool, her daughter sitting on her knee.
Le Bon GoûT — French for “the good taste” — began as a hobby in Essiba’s kitchen during the Covid-19 pandemic. It has evolved every year since, branching into the Winooski Farmers Market, gaining recognition through a Burlington business incubator and now setting up a space of its own.
At first, Essiba felt a nagging fear of failure as she took on the task of running a startup. “Bad, bad, bad thoughts,” she said.
But in Le Bon GoûT’s partnership with the city, Essiba’s food has earned a vote of confidence, as has the woman who makes it.
Last November, she saw a Seven Days article saying the pool was looking for a new business to provide real meals for hungry swimmers. After reaching out to Winooski’s parks department, Essiba submitted a proposal for Le Bon GoûT to take over the snack bar.
“They went around asking the community. They were like, ‘Hey, who would you guys rather have?’ Because they want food instead of just sweets and stuff.”
While the window is small, it gives Le Bon GoûT a consistent customer base.
“It’s huge. It’s like, I’m still in disbelief,” Essiba said. “Like, I have supporters, a base. So that really gave me the hope to (be) like, ‘Alright, I can, I can do this. I have support from people.”
Owning a restaurant proper has always been one of Essiba’s goals. Her food is a chance to share familiar dishes with an immigrant community that otherwise would have scant access to them.
Essiba, who worked as a nursing assistant before starting Le Bon GoûT, emphasized how important hospitality is to her business philosophy.
“Even if it’s a drink, a little snack on the side, you always have to be hospitable. So I have that in me to always serve people,” she said. “I think that’s my gift to serve people. So that’s why through this, I’ll be able to do that.”
Eventually, she sees the business expanding to a larger market. “I want to be outside of Vermont also,” she said. “Restaurants all over the place.”
Whatever the future holds, Essiba understands how important the community and cultural connection have been in her journey — and wants to reciprocate.
“We all have different countries. We have our own culture,” she said. “But food is like — you know how a smile is like a universal language? Food is also a universal language.”