Chefs are culinary artists who bring nuance, expertise, and beauty to food preparation. Ghanaian chefs are some of the most quintessential kitchen leaders that are proficient in exploiting a patron’s palette.
Ghana has a vast expanse of food stylists that use unique cooking skills to prepare and manage the creation of new and exciting recipes. Some of the Ghanaian Chefs have traversed the world, bringing their creativity of making West African food. Some chefs focus on a particular cuisine, while others prefer a diverse portfolio of cuisines.
With a broad array of traditional dishes ranging from jollof rice to fufu available in Ghana. Whenever you visit any restaurant offering Ghanaian cuisine, the chefs do not disappoint in adding their smarts and color to the food. We had a look around to find some of Ghanaian chefs who are making waves in the culinary world not just in Ghana.
Five famous chefs from Ghana cooking up a storm
Elijah Amoo Addo
Born in 1990, Elijah has risen to be a highly decorated chef, entrepreneur, and activist. Elijah has received several awards and recognition for his culinary expertise and social development campaigns. Having lost his parents at age 12, Elijah moved to Nigeria for schooling, where he attended Sphinx school and catering services and completed his culinary studies.
Elijah returned to Ghana in 2010 and worked with prestigious establishments such as the Jazz Bar and Chase Restaurant, and soon became the Secretary of the Great Accra Chefs Association. Addo was inspired to start an N.G.O. (Chefs for Change Ghana Foundation) after meeting a mentally challenged man scrapping for food. His desire to end hunger and poverty in Ghana by reducing food wastage has earned him recognition for the Queen’s Young Leaders Award. In 2018 he received the 2018 Takeda Young Entrepreneurship Award for his community food stores initiative.
Elijah uses his culinary skills and experience to be a force for good.
Read more about Chef Elijah on his website >>
Eric Adjepong
Eric’s mantra is “Let food be thy medicine,” and true to form, he has used bold flavors and aromas to arrest taste buds while adhering to healthy nutritional values. Eric is a Ghanaian-American born and raised in New York, but make no mistake, his mastery of West African dishes is unparalleled.
Eric made it to the finals of season 16 of Bravo’s Top Chef and was famous for sourcing most of his flavors and recipes from West African dishes. Adjepong holds three degrees in culinary arts and is a personal chef and nutrition professional in Washington DC.
Read more about Eric Adjepong on his web site >>
Maame Boakye
Maame was born and raised in Accra Ghana but moved to New York City, where she nurtured her passion for food. Chef Maame was introduced to different cuisines within New York City and soon learned how to incorporate them into her cooking, creating a beautiful blend of Afro-Caribbean fusions.
Maame’s pop-up company, West African Restaurant (W.A.R.), participated in The World’s Fare International Festival in 2019 and won the “Best at the Fare Savory” Award. Chef Maame operates between Ghana and America after opening her restaurant GHastro in Accra back in 2020. She prepares West African dishes with a touch of the Caribbean and American flavors.
Find out more about Ghastro >>
Selassie Atadika
Chef Selassie prides in expressing African cuisine through innovation fused with nomadic practices. Imbued by the practices of nomadic populations, Selassie embarked on a journey of infusing indigenous food preparations with modern recipes.
Selassie’s Midunu is a dining establishment in Ghana that celebrates food heritage through “New Africa Cuisine,” a slogan designed to hammer in the idea of how culture and cuisine intersect.
Joseph Odoom
Chef Joseph is a young culinary specialist whose love for indigenous and local ingredients introduced him to the 2021 season one of the House of Chefs competition, and he won. Joseph loves to introduce the world to Ghanaian cuisine through a blend of fine dining and Afro-Fusion. Odoom’s love for pastry incorporates merging African ingredients to mold desserts that fit exemplary dining standards.
Author: Raychelle Masakha
Experienced content writer from Nairobi loving everything Africa, bringing content to life