Local Flavor

“Although we didn’t know that then because we had nothing to compare it to,” she says. “We just knew it tasted so good.”

She can’t always do it at her restaurant without raising prices so high that only the a uent can a ord it, but she does her best.

“We peel our own yams, we boil our own potatoes, we get fresh produce whenever we can. You always have to come back to the basics, and that means fresh and natural.”

Armstrong didn’t simply copy her mother’s recipes – she’s too good a chef for that. Besides, there were no recipes.

“When I asked what you put in,” says Armstrong, “Mom always said, ‘Use your imagination.’ Well, I’m still using my imagination, to put my own spin on things.”

Her mother used lard, and a lot of it; lard rendered from a freshly killed hog, and I’m sure it tasted wonderful. But Armstrong has eliminated lard entirely, preferring to let the natural taste of the greens or vegetables speak for themselves. e French chefs who invented “nouvelle cuisine” in Paris, dazzling the world with their fresh, light, clear avors, did exactly the same thing.

In fact, so many of the things top chefs preach today were being practiced by Armstrong or her mother when those chefs were still children: Getting the nest, freshest ingredients, preferably from local farms. Preparing it to bring out and highlight its natural avor. Using as few ingredients as possible, nding perfection not in complexity but in simplicity. Cooking what’s in season, canning, pickling and preserving for winter. Using the entire animal, head to tail.

Admittedly, Armstrong has abandoned the canning and the head-to-tail approach.

“Grandma made us eat pig’s feet and ears,” says Sharla Walker, Armstrong’s daughter. “She was trying to kill us!”

She was joking of course.

“Grandma was in good health till her eighties,” Walker recalls. “ at’s because she ate fresh and natural, no chemicals.”

Armstrong continues: “I taught my kids to cook, and then my grandkids,” says Armstrong. “ ey say, ‘We want to do it like you do it!’ and they’re good cooks, so good they know to put their own spin on things, and I encourage that. But we always come back to the basics: fresh and natural.

“I feel sorry for kids today who grew up on fast foods; all they know is potato chips in a bag. Of course, you don’t just throw good ingredients in a pot and think that will do the job. ere’s still an art to how you cook. Sometimes my customers say, ‘Oh this tastes just like my momma’s,’ and that makes me feel good, makes me know I’m still doing it right after 45 years.” BRIAN SCHWARTZ Note: In late February, Armstrong was named a semi- nalist for the James Beard Foundation’s category Best Chef: Southwest. Fried chicken is the star of the show at Evelyn’s. Photo courtesy Evelyn’s

Wanda Armstrong created and perfected a variety of sides for her customers. Photo by Stephanie Phillips Photo cutesey The Nija Wife

NAIJA WIFE KITCHEN

“The mission of Naija Wife Kitchen has always been to be a bridge in between the Nigerian and American cultures,” says Tahnee Francis, the Naija wife.

For Francis, the exploration of the Nigerian and, more specifically, the Yoruba culture, began when she married her husband. Since then, she has made it her mission to help bring the beautiful experiences she has discovered to her fellow Americans. Since her marriage, she has also traced her own roots back to the Yoruba tribe.

Her passion for sharing the culture prompted her to open Naija Wife Kitchen at 502 N. Hudson Ave. in Oklahoma City. The menu is limited and changes weekly, and has a rapidly growing number of devout followers. Diners may sample dishes at the take-out-only kitchen before deciding on their meal.

Francis travels to Nigeria once or twice a year to bring back the authentic spices needed to create dishes like Egusi soup, made from ground melon seeds. The popular peanut butter soup is served with chicken and white rice or fufu (a ball made from pounded African yam). Whole tilapia comes with a choice of plantains or jollof rice. Vegetarian and vegan options are always available, and all plates are $10 or under.

Naija Wife only accepts cash or CashApp, and because everything is made fresh daily, she may close early if they sell out of the daily portions.