Kenyan émigré, entrepreneur and activist Nelly Some (pronounced so-may) sees opportunity everywhere. After more than 20 years in the U.S. and founding several successful businesses, Nelly has turned her focus and particular palate to food and wine, opening Nelly’s African Kitchen and Mvinyo Winery.
“I wanted wine that would pair well with African food, so I made my own,” Some says. “You can’t have good food without good wine.”
When Some arrived in the Pacific Northwest about two decades ago, becoming a winemaker was nowhere on her radar. In Kenya, she was a tour guide — a skill that wasn’t in great demand in south King County, where she settled.
Along with other jobs, Some became a caregiver, earning a credential as a Certified Nursing Assistant, and working in assisted living facilities. Having been raised since infancy by her grandmother, Nelly had a strong affinity and appreciation for elders. She took on tasks in the back office, learning what it took to run a senior care home.
“I did not think they were being well-taken care of, so I opened my own senior home to make my own decisions and have control,” she says. “How you take care of them is like how you take care of your own parents.”
Over the next 16 years, Some opened multiple senior homes, becoming a real estate broker so she could easily purchase and renovate houses to her specifications. An overwhelming request for help drove Some to become a consultant and motivational speaker, assisting others to open their own senior care homes.
“Everything I do comes with a passion,” Some says. “All is related in one way or another. Wherever I see a need, I see business potential.”
Not too long after her fourth child was born, Some decided to “retire” from her caregiving and real estate businesses to spend more time with her husband and with her kids, who range in age from 4 to 14.
Retirement gave her time to cook, but with a young busy family, she didn’t have the time it took to create traditional African recipes.
“I’ve always loved cooking, but African cooking can take 12 hours. Americans aren’t going to do that,” Some says, explaining how she has tweaked and revised traditional recipes to take less than an hour.
Her experimentation led her to establish Nelly’s African Kitchen as a catering business and online recipe instruction to bring African food to the American table.
African food needs wine with high acidity. Nelly began studying Washington wine, seeking wines that would complement her recipes. “I am a very good drinker who knows good wine when I taste it,” she said, explaining how she drove all over Washington and parts of Oregon to research, taste, and teach herself about what the region offered. “I took myself to winery after winery.”
Always an entrepreneur, Nelly soon established Mvinyo Winery (“Mvinyo” means “wine” in Swahili) to create elegant, African-inspired wines.
Working with two wine consultants in Walla Walla at a custom crush facility, she has produced the first 2,400 cases of Mvinyo Winery with grapes sourced from Red Mountain, Rattlesnake Hills, Horse Heaven Hills, and Columbia Valley.
Mvinyo Winery currently boasts six wines: the tropical Samaki Sauvignon Blanc, a smooth and peachy Rift Valley Riesling, the floral and citrus-scented Rafiki Rosé, the light-bodied Eldoret Cabernet Sauvignon, the spiced bold Gogo Merlot, and the berry-forward Calabash Cabernet Sauvignon.
Another 1,000 cases of wine and perhaps a franchise of food trucks are on the future horizon. “I’m not following in anyone’s footsteps,” says Nelly, confidently. “I’m following in Nelly’s footsteps.”
Find her wines at select restaurants and wine bars across the Puget Sound region, including We Rise Wines in downtown Seattle, Jak’s Grill in Issaquah, Hidden Harbor Wine Library in Gig Harbor, and Seree Thai in Kent.
Follow Nelly at @nellysafricankitchen and @mvinyowinery or contact her at www.nellysafricankitchen.com
