Hey family,

Over the past couple of notes, I’ve shared how this started… and what the early days looked like.

Today, I want to be real about something we don’t talk about enough.

The hard moments.

There were times I didn’t know if African Dishout would make it.

Times when the numbers didn’t add up.

When the app wasn’t working the way it should.

When things felt like they were moving slower than I hoped.

There were moments I questioned everything.

Am I doing this right?

Is this going to work?

Should I keep going?

And I won’t lie, those moments were tough.

Because when you’re building something from the ground up, there’s no clear path.

You’re figuring things out as you go, and sometimes it feels like you’re carrying it all on your own.

But even in those moments, something kept me going.

It wasn’t perfect clarity.

It wasn’t certainty.

It was belief.

Belief in the vision.

Belief in the community.

Belief that what we were building mattered.

And sometimes, that belief is all you have.

Looking back now, I’m grateful for those moments.

Because they taught me resilience.

They forced me to grow.

They made me stronger as a founder and as a person.

And they reminded me that building something meaningful isn’t supposed to be easy.

It’s supposed to stretch you.

I’ll share more next time about when things started to shift, when we began to see the impact of everything we had been building.

For now, I just want to say thank you for being here.

Your support means more than you know.

With love,

Jamila

Founder, African Dishout

Frequently Asked Questions

What is African Dishout?

African Dishout is a food delivery and culture platform built for the African diaspora. It connects communities across New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Atlanta to Black-owned African restaurants and grocery stores, delivering authentic African food directly to your door.

How do I order African food in New York?

Download the African Dishout app, enter your delivery address, and browse from a wide selection of African restaurants and grocery stores near you. The app shows stores from closest to farthest so you always see what is available right where you are.

Where does African Dishout deliver?

African Dishout currently delivers across New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Atlanta, Georgia. Long distance delivery is also available on request. Call (917) 957-5454 or email order@africandishout.com to arrange it.

Who founded African Dishout?

African Dishout was founded by Jamila Zomah, a Ghanaian-American entrepreneur who built the platform after seeing a gap in the diaspora: African restaurants existed but there was no delivery service built to connect them to the community. She launched Dishout to close that gap, and has been building it alongside the community ever since.

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