May 27, 2026
As a young girl, Ventica Woods spent hours in the kitchen. It wasn’t out of curiosity, but a hunger for healing. What she found there would eventually feed hundreds of people, birth a business, and become her most fluent language of love.
While most people believe there are five love languages, Ventica, owner of Mama Africa Food and Catering has an additional one: food.
This belief developed because life in war-torn Liberia was dangerous and it impacted her at a young age. Sexually assaulted at nine, Ventica felt alone and scared. With a pinch of salt here, a handful of greens there, she perfected Liberian dishes as a form of survival. “I started cooking from a place of trauma. There was no therapy, we learned to move on and get over it. But something inside me had been broken and taken away,” said Ventica. “Over time my recipes became my friends. I would talk to them because I had no one to talk to.” When other children came forward with similar stories, she invited them to her home for meals and companionship. Soon, her kitchen became a haven for others like her.
When she was fourteen years old, her family moved to Iowa after winning the United Nations’ Diversity Visa. They chose it because they could pronounce the name, which was all they knew about their new home.
As a high school student in Des Moines, Ventica used her culinary skills to process culture shock. She remembered her discomfort during her first math test when she was handed a calculator, something prohibited during exams in Liberian schools. She also recalled wearing sandals to school and seeing snow covering the ground when she had to walk home. “I thought my feet were going to freeze!” she said. By the time she graduated, her friends and teammates were familiar with the spices and flavors of Liberian cooking.
In 2015, she met her husband at church, and he quickly became a fan of her dishes. With his encouragement and a Facebook post in 2023, she began selling plates of cassava leaves and jollof rice on the weekends. Each week she gained new customers and sold out. While she still worked full-time in the healthcare field, she began to look forward to her time in the kitchen, not only creating the meals she loved, but teaching her husband to cook them as well. Today, he is her right-hand in her catering business, pop-ups, festivals and events. Their older children are learning hospitality skills, too. They spend summers at their parents’ side, cooking, serving and promoting Mama Africa Catering and Food.
Running a business, raising five children, and opening a restaurant keep her busy. To reset and stay focused, she sets aside Sundays and Mondays for herself. “My husband makes sure that I don't do anything on Sundays, and he gets the kids involved,” she said. That allows her to catch up on sleep, practice self-care, and pour herself into her upcoming memoir titled I Almost Got Lost, detailing her life as a sexual assault survivor. Writing has not only been cathartic but has also strengthened her bond with her children. “Most times, my kids ask me questions about my past and how I got through it. They are the ones who made me feel comfortable to talk about it,” she shared.
Following the publication of her book, she is opening her first restaurant in August at Local Bites in downtown Des Moines. She envisions it as more than a place to nourish the body. With healing at the heart of her work, Ventica’s cooking creates opportunities for others to experience her culture and her mission. She plans to host monthly gatherings with mental health professionals and resources so that “children and families can have meals and heart-to-heart conversations where healing and breakthroughs happen. That's what I see for Mama Africa,” she said. Ventica believes everyone deserves a place to be seen and to be heard. Soon, you'll be able to take a place at her table. Join Mama Africa Catering and Food and CultureAll....
Join Ventica for CultureALL's birthday celebration!
CultureALL’s Dine & Dance with Mama Africa is Friday, June 5, beginning at 6 pm.
This event is supported in part by the Iowa Arts Council which exists within the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
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