Adibon shifts its African Fusion cuisine from food truck scene to Fargo restaurant

080420.B.FF.ADIBON001.jpg — Siva Ntivu, right, and her sister, Nyota Ntivu, stand in the dining area of Siva's new African Fusion restaurant, Adibon, at 3017 13th Ave. S., Fargo, on Friday, July 31. (Helmut Schmidt / The Forum)

By Helmut Schmidt

August 03, 2020 at 7:30 AM

FARGO - Adibon has finally found a permanent place to park.

Sifa Ntivu, a Red River Market mainstay and owner of the popular Adibon food truck, is now serving her African Fusion cuisine at a bricks-and-mortar Adibon restaurant at 3017 13th Ave. S.

On Friday, July 31, she and others were prepping the restaurant space - the former home of Katina Tropical Food - for its planned opening Saturday, Aug. 1.

Ntivu describes her menu as a mix of ethnic foods from Africa and Europe.

Sifa’s sister, Nyota Ntivu, handles public relations for the restaurant (but like other family members sometimes finds herself drafted into the kitchen). She is a big fan of the sauces Sifa creates.

“It’s a taste of the world,” Nyota said. “That’s why it’s more like a fusion cuisine. It’s a fusion of all different cultures.”

The Ntivus come from a family with a hospitality background. Their father ran hotels and their mother cooked.

“We just want to continue our family tradition. We get it from our parents,” Sifa said.

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Sifa has been in the food business in the Fargo-Moorhead area about five years, starting at the Red River Market with a couple of tables. Two years ago, she purchased a food truck.

Food truck regulars encouraged Sifa to take the next step.

They would ask, “When are you going to open a restaurant? So, it’s finally here. It’s the right time,” Nyota said. “It’s weird that it’s happening during the COVID era. People are like, ‘How is that going to work during the COVID era?’ Well, God is in control.”

The name Adibon is an abbreviation of the initials of family members, the sisters said.

Adibon’s menu, available online, has a wide variety of offerings. Appetizers include sambusas, fried plantains, plantain chips and beignets.

The entrees include chicken, beef, seafood and vegetarian options, including chamsteak (a French steak flavored with cognac) or coq au vin (a classic French chicken dish braised with wine and brandy), kebabs, gyros and other sandwiches, tacos, tilapia and herbed shrimp. Children’s meals are also available.

Meals can be ordered online and delivered by DoorDash or Grubhub, Nyota said.

Dine-in service is limited by social distancing requirements, but the Adibon also offers curb-side delivery.

Adibon caters and offers a meal preparation program, too, Sifa said.

Nyota said the food reflects Sifa’s love of working in the kitchen.

“She puts her soul into her food and that’s what makes it taste really good,” Nyota said.

The restaurant's website is adibonfusioncuisine.com . It also has a presence on Facebook and Instagram.

By Helmut Schmidt

Helmut Schmidt is a business reporter at The Forum. He’s a German import, arriving in the United States about a decade after the Volkswagen beetle. After graduating high school in Cottage Grove, Minn., he served in the U.S. Army as a microwave radio operator and repairman. He earned a journalism degree from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, then started at the Albert Lea Tribune in southeastern Minnesota, where he served three years as its managing editor. At The Forum, he has covered various beats, including K-12 schools, city government, cops and courts, and the business community. Contact Helmut at 701-241-5583 or hschmidt@forumcomm.com.