We were lucky to catch up with Theodora Osei-Fordwuo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Theodora , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I developed my business idea through my upbringing at home. As the oldest daughter, I was expected to learn how to cook because of the tribe I come from. During that time, I discovered I have a great talent, and my cooking brings love and laughter to our house. Since I didn’t attend catering school, I used this gift as a hobby until I moved to this country in the early 2000s. I realized it would be a great opportunity to turn it into a business instead of being a burden on society or a housewife—which I never wanted to be. I believe it’s better to be a contributor rather than a taker. And now I am very grateful I made this choice. I am now able to help my family greatly by taking care of my precious family. It was very tough and sometimes depressing, but what kept me going was the strength my parents instilled in me, especially having the Lord with me at all times and stages.

Theodora , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Theodora Osei-Fordwuo. I am the co-owner and founder of African Grill and Bar LLC. It was established by my husband and me in 2004. I am also a mother of three beautiful children, ranging from 25 to 18 years old. When I started my business, my oldest was 4 years old, and my second child was two months old. Running your own business is tough, especially when starting something new that many people aren’t familiar with — in this case, an African restaurant. First and foremost, many people we introduced our business to had no clue or held primitive thoughts about our product. We faced many challenges, but through it all, one principle I always kept in mind is “every good thing takes time to grow and mature.” At that moment, I had no other options but to keep pushing and trust strongly in my Maker. I am most proud of not quitting and of my family. Commitment, hard work, and dedication steer one in the right direction, even when things seem shaky.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Cooking is a tough deal, especially when it comes to cooking for a whole restaurant. Even though my cooking was great, it was appreciated and enjoyed by my family and our Catholic priest, whom I was cooking for when I was growing up. When I had to cook for the restaurant in the beginning, it was a bit scary, but because of my upbringing, I realized throwing in the towel wasn’t an option, but resilience and consistency take you to perfection

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

What helped in building my reputation is my upbringing again, in my house, my parents were very principled, disciplined, and no-nonsense parents, and they also instilled God in us. I was also told that hard work pays off.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.africangrilllakewood.com
• Instagram: African_grill_and_bar
• Facebook: African Grill and Bar-lakewood
• Twitter: African Grill and Bar-lakewood