Gossip’s Kitchen is the only Black-owned restaurant in Ajijic, Mexico. Located in the Mexican state of Jalisco, the restaurant opened by chance.
Owner Ismat Jivani has traveled the world working as a consultant to help people launch businesses. He has an extensive background in the hospitality industry. His first visit to Ajijic was with his consulting firm to help a woman launch her restaurant. At the time, he didn’t know the visit would inspire something more.
“I fell in love with Ajijic and decided to stay,” Jivani tells Travel Noire.
Jivani lived and worked in Toronto for 24 years but is originally from Nairobi. He says Ajijic reminded him of home.
“The weather was the first thing that caught me,” he says. “The altitude is very similar to Nairobi. It’s about 5,000 feet above sea level here and pretty much the same in Nairobi. I also love the pace of life here.”
Jivani loves Nairobi but doesn’t want to be far from his children, who live in Canada and Mexico. He opened Gossip’s Kitchen in 2010 as an ode to Kenya and his travels. Mexico is the 14th country he’s lived in or traveled to since leaving home.
What To Expect At Gossip’s Kitchen
The restaurant gets its name from the rumors circulating after he left his successful consulting company behind.
“I was going to originally call it Tamu Tamu, which means delicious in my native tongue of Swahili,” he says.
Gossip’s, however, proves that not all talk is bad. The menu and overall ambiance inside reflect the warm and nostalgic feeling people experience in their most comforting spaces, which are often their homes.
“When I was a consultant, I often heard what people missed about home, and it was always food,” he says. I asked four team members what food they missed from their home now that they live in Mexico.”
Thanks to his friends and team members living in Ajijic, the menu offers dishes inspired by Texas, Louisiana, and Arizona, with some accents from Africa as well.
“It’s a small restaurant close to the highway that’s great for people-watching,” says Jivani. “It’s eclectic here, and what we offer you won’t find anywhere else in Mexico because of the African flavors we incorporate.”
Ajijic is approximately 30 minutes away from Guadalajara. Travelers will find Gossip’s Kitchen at Carr Jocotepec-Chapala 36, Centro.