While a former banker in Germany, Ghanaian Yorm Ackuaku was stymied by friends’ questions about African food so she decided to do some more research. Her investigation turned into an odyssey taking her across the globe in an ongoing effort to document and share the African food experience. From Instagram to podcasts to food conferences and now a new restaurant, this entrepreneur is teaching the world about African cuisine and how to savor it. Awo’s Kitchen was rebranded to esSense 13, a play on the word essen (“to eat” in German). The project foreshadowed the work she wanted to do, amplifying food stories from the African diaspora and creating immersive experiences online and off. As Ackuaku continued to travel and work with chefs around the world, she wanted a way to preserve the stories she heard. Inspired by the How I Built This podcast chronicling entrepreneurs’ tales of developing well-known brands, she adopted a similar model to celebrate African food stories throughout the world.
SOURCE: FOOD & WINE