Nico Rivera
Features Editor
On Friday, April 10, students, faculty and the Wooster community came together at Local Roots for a Kôkôdy “pop-up” dinner from 5–8 p.m. Co-sponsored by the French & Francophone Studies Department, the dinner was an opportunity for community members to come together and enjoy West African cuisine.
Fridosse Adam Idrissou ’26 was a primary organizer for the event, and explained how the idea for the dinner began. “Kôkôdy honestly started out of boredom over the summer! It felt like the perfect way to stay busy, while combining things that I love doing – learning about my continent, cooking, and spending time with my friends! Within 6 days of the initial idea, excitement and eagerness grew around the catchy name, the idea and of course the menu! The first edition was a success, and attendants quickly began to request for another edition. This is where the idea of hosting the second edition at Local Roots came from. I wanted to find a way to bring the community together, around meals that are so dear to me. It felt like the perfect idea. People that I knew from the town, my friends and professors, all sharing a plate of Jollof, Attiéké, or Waakye, drinking some natural juice and listening to great music. What I didn’t know was the stress that came with planning.”
Wooster students who brought their COW ID cards got 10% off their meals, and WayGo buses offered service downtown, departing from Bornhuetter Hall. Community members could enjoy a variety of dishes offered on the menu. Among the more well-known dishes of West Africa is dakar, which comes with jollof rice and chicken. Jollof rice is a Senegalese tomato-spiced rice dish common across West African countries, with regional varieties being a point of national pride, particularly in Nigeria and Ghana.
Attiéké is a side dish made from cassava native to Côte d’Ivoire, which has a similar texture to couscous. The dish came with fish, vegetables and a savory tomato stew. Waakye is a Ghanaian dish that comes with rice, beans and a variety of vegetables or plantains depending on where it is sold.
For a vegan option, students could try sokodé, a soup made with tomato-pepper broth and fresh vegetables. Alongside the dishes, attendees could also enjoy bissap, a West African hibiscus drink, gnamakoudji, a spiced ginger drink sweetened with pineapple, and a variety of teas.
Idrissou talked about how co-sponsors joined the event, and her satisfaction with the community turnout. “… excitement grew more around the idea of the event. The French & Francophone Studies Department also heard about it and decided to co-sponsor! This was a true testament to the power of a strong community coming together. A strong community has always been Wooster’s strongest suit, and although that has been severely tested this academic year, I hope it never changes.”
J.J. Rodriguez ’29 shared his excitement for the cuisine saying that, “This food is gonna revive me after the Geneva Convention violations Lowry has done to me.”
Edith-Michelle Aboa ’26 echoed this excitement, commenting on the celebration of West African cuisine. “I am so happy we were able to bring our culture to Wooster, the support was amazing, it was energetic.”
Idrissou reflected positively on the community event. “April 10th, 2026 will remain a day engraved in Wooster’s history, where students, faculty, and community members came together to support a student-led initiative. I am proud to say that the Director of Local Roots ended the night by saying that in over a decade of working at Local Roots, he had never seen anything like it. Therefore, thank you to each and everyone of you that contributed to Kôkôdy’s success, and who knows, maybe we will be back!”