10/07/2026
We have some wonderful news to share.
Congratulations to all of the Winners.
Yaya’s Kitchen has been named a 2026 Canada Small Business 100 Winner, joining the inaugural group of 100 businesses recognised for helping shape Canada’s economy, communities and culture.
This one means a lot.
Yaya’s began around our backyard table in London, Ontario in 2017. We had an idea that food could do more than feed people. It could tell stories. It could preserve memory. It could introduce us to one another.
We wanted to explore the Global Black Experience through food and create a table where people could eat, learn, talk and connect.
That little backyard table has travelled further than we ever imagined.
It became Yaya’s Kitchen. It became Yaya’s Café inside Museum London. It has taken us beyond London to share our food and stories with communities across Canada.
And through all the changes, one thing has remained constant: the people around the table.
Our team. Our guests. Our community. Our suppliers, partners and collaborators. The people who told their friends about us, celebrated our wins, showed up for dinner, stopped by the café, and kept believing in what we were building.
This recognition belongs to all of you too.
We’re also incredibly grateful to Tourism London, Ontario, Ontario's Southwest and Museum London for being part of the community that has helped Yaya’s grow.
From a backyard table in London to the inaugural Canada Small Business 100.
What a journey.
And there is still so much more we want to build.
Building community, one plate at a time.
List of all Winners: https://www.canadasmallbusiness100.ca/
— Malvin & Maryam
