South Park Personality: Abdulkamal “AK” Abdullahi

For more than seven years, Abdulkamal "AK" Abdullahi has called South Park home. You might spot him around the neighborhood catching the E Line to work, grabbing dinner and drinks at Prank Bar, or simply out running errands. But lately, many of his neighbors have come to know him for something else: bringing the flavors of his childhood in Nigeria to kitchens across the country.

South Park resident Abdulkamal “AK” Abdullahi in front of the Downtown LA skyline

AK grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, where food was an important part of everyday life. He learned to cook at a young age from his mother long before he ever imagined launching a food company. 

His path eventually brought him thousands of miles from Lagos. He first moved to the United States for college in Chicago, where he spent seven years before returning to Nigeria. In 2016, he moved back to the U.S. to attend UCLA Anderson, where he met his wife. A few years later, the two settled in South Park, which has been home ever since.

After moving to Los Angeles, AK found that some things are harder to leave behind than others. While LA offered access to many of the ingredients he grew up cooking with, recreating those familiar flavors often required hours in the kitchen. 

During the pandemic, AK began spending more time cooking and revisiting recipes from home. What started as a personal project quickly became something bigger. He called relatives, compared techniques, gathered feedback from family members, and spent years refining recipes. Along the way, he and his wife realized there was an opportunity to make West African flavors more accessible to home cooks who didn't have the time to start from scratch.

After years of recipe development, AK celebrating the first production run of M&AK's Kitchen Jollof Sauce

That idea eventually became M&AK's Kitchen. Earlier this year, the couple launched their first product, Jollof Sauce, inspired by the flavors AK grew up with in Lagos. The sauce helps home cooks prepare jollof rice, one of West Africa’s most famous dishes, in about 30 minutes. Customers have also found plenty of other uses for it, from baked chicken and fish to beans and roasted vegetables.

While the sauce is now shipping to customers around the country, the business still feels distinctly local. Every order has been packed by AK and his wife in their South Park apartment before being walked a few blocks to the UPS Store. On larger shipping days, the couple loads boxes into a wagon and makes the trip through the neighborhood together. Today, the sauce is available online through M&AK’s Kitchen, though AK hopes to see it on the shelves of local specialty grocers in the near future. 

When not working on M&AK's Kitchen, AK spends his weekdays working in the gaming industry and his free time playing video games, exploring DTLA, and testing new recipes. He is also an avid Arsenal supporter and lately has been keeping a close eye on several Arsenal players in the World Cup.

AK and his mother during a pottery class at Throw Clay LA while she was visiting from Lagos, Nigeria

When asked what he likes most about living in South Park, AK pointed to the sense of community. After more than seven years in the neighborhood, it’s where he built a life with his wife, launched a business, and found friends from all over the world. AK said, “I grew up in Lagos and lived in Chicago for several years. I've always been a city person. So, when people ask why I chose DTLA, the density and the diversity make total sense to me. But South Park specifically has a quality that's harder to find. It's walkable, it's clean, it's a little quieter than you'd expect. I've convinced friends to move here. I've made new ones here. My wife and I do our Sunday walk to the farmer's market and just chat with people. That's the vibrant life I was always looking for.”

Editor’s note: Interested in trying the sauce? Learn more at mandakskitchen.com or follow @mandakskitchen on Instagram. South Park residents can use code M&AK-SPNA-PICKUP at checkout for local pickup.

  By Michelle Morehead