F
or Maker Zoe Adjonyoh, food extends far beyond a passion. It’s a tool that connects her to her Ghanaian culture and ancestry. Growing up in an immigrant household in London, she utilized food to create moments that celebrate the ingredients and flavors with strangers right on the steps of her home.
From the first iterations of her mobile kitchens, her goal was to share African cuisine with the public. Zoe realized the opportunity she had to combine her passion and creativity, then transform them into a learning experience for others—which is how she came to form her wildly popular brand and cookbook, Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen.
To Zoe, food is an art form. It allows her to share the way she expresses herself with others and create a dish that is truly authentic. Everything from the ingredients she sources to the way she prepares a meal is rooted in a deep sense of connection. Zoe prides herself on having a close relationship with her ingredients, which is only deepened by going to markets in her hometown and cities around the world. The sensory experience she finds strolling among the rows of colorful produce, feeling the textured fruits and smelling fragrant herbs from local vendors allows her to further connect with her ingredients and draw inspiration.
Zoe feels that when she is alone in the kitchen, it is almost a meditative experience. It’s a moment for her to have fun and let her mind and body relax while she focuses on that one thing, whether it’s blending a sauce or grating an ingredient she sourced that day.
“When you’re alone in the kitchen, having that moment to have fun, being inventive feels meditative.”
Zoe Adjonyoh
Chef, cookbook author, entrepreneur
Zoe now splits her time living between London and New York City and has made a point to live her life with intention. She makes these conscious choices as they suit the lifestyle she wants to live. As a chef, part of the job entails a never-ending journey of learning and experiencing flavors from around the globe. Her intentional choices and the energized feeling she gets from all things new directly translates into her work—and by work, she means cooking.
The meditative experience she has when she is alone in the kitchen allows Zoe to explore the potential that African gastronomy offers and bring this to the tables of her hosted supper clubs. These gatherings let her curate an experience that is not intimidating—where people can truly enjoy the flavors of her dishes and she is able to talk intentionally about her menus. Her inventive recipes and playful dishes combine with intimate conversations to draw people in and let their guard down as they experience different aspects of the culture around food.
“It creates this intimacy and a moment where you can all connect around an idea, or the plate, the taste, or the flavor.”
Often, Zoe finds that people show up to her supper clubs with baggage from their day. As the meal progresses, she slowly sees all those things fade away. These moments of communal time around her dishes culminate into a time of intimate, beautiful connection. And for Zoe, that is magic.
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