New Food Trailer Brings a Taste of Sierra Leone!

If you’re looking to try a new place with delicious food, but you’re not quite ready to dine inside a traditional restaurant building, I have the place for you: Shreveport’s most recent mobile food option – RNL’s Cookery Corner.

RNL’s Cookery Corner is a food trailer owned by Chef Niematulai Longstratt. She’s best known for her traditional Sierra Leonean “Dine on a Mat” dining experience and being a 2019 Louisiana Food Prize: Battle of the Golden Fork finalist, and she has expanded her brand with a new food trailer.

Owning a food trailer has been one of Chef Niematulai’s dreams since moving to the United States from Sierra Leone. That dream has now become a reality. When deciding on a name for the trailer, Chef knew that she wanted to pay homage to her favorite style of Sierra Leonean cuisine, street food from the Cookery Corner.

The current menu features six West African and Afro-Fusion street food-style dishes:

Krio Wings – fried chicken wings tossed in RNL’s signature peanut butter sauce. It is served with Jollof rice, salad or sweet potato frites, and a side of West African-style ranch dressing. Peanut butter sauce can be substituted with Krio demi sauce. Get the peanut butter sauce; it’s delectable.

Freetown Red Snapper – red snapper fried in tempura batter, topped with sweet pepper cream sauce, served with Jollof rice, hush puppies and cabbage.

Lumley Shrimp – fried or grilled shrimp. Served with Jollof rice, salad or sweet potato frites.

Kankankan – steak (goat or beef) bites seasoned with African dry rub, topped with caramelized onions, tomatoes and fresh parsley and served with Jollof rice and salad. I tried the goat, which was my first time eating goat meat. I would definitely get this again.

Guinea Avocado Tapalapa Toast – Avocado egg salad on toasted French bread with homemade mayo. It is served with sweet potato frites.

Fulani Cheesesteak – (or you can substitute chicken like I did) – onions, pickled peppers, provolone cheese, homemade mayo. Served with sweet potato frites. I love a good Philly cheesesteak, and this sandwich did not disappoint.

While RNL’s Cookery Corner is a food trailer and will be making stops at various events and festivals from time to time, the Cookery Corner does have a permanent spot in downtown Shreveport, where you will be able to find them every week. Just off of I-49 and I-20 at 1507 Texas Ave. in the lot across from Eleven Events is where you can pick up your food to go or, weather permitting, there will be tables set up for outside dining.

The Cookery Corner hours are Thursday and Friday: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 5 – 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Be sure to check out their Facebook page for all the special events they’ll be hosting, Facebook.com/RNLCookeryCorner. Most recently they hosted a Friendsgiving Brunch the weekend of Thanksgiving, which featured live music from Tipsey, and they’ll be set up outside John Pickens Clothiers on Saturday, Dec. 5.