‘Selling’ Ghana’s food! I’m sure many would wonder how. Well, technically, not literally, but his ‘food work’ took Ghana to Britain’s Royal Palace; Buckingham and to France’ Presidential Palace, Élysée.
Chef Elijah Amoo Addo, is the Executive Director and founder of Food For All Ghana, an organisation that feeds the homeless and vulnerable in Ghana.
His story is very fascinating, having been motivated by a mentally challenged man who had been picking up waste food from his previous place of work, to feed his colleagues who needed food.
He was a chef who was comfortable with his position in one of the country’s biggest hotels but he chose a bigger course; to establish a programme that fends for the needs of the aged, and vulnerable living on the streets of Ghana.
His ambition to challenge a then Guinness World Record of the longest table, which he intended to use to feed the marginalised, took him heights he never could have dreamed.
He won the admiration of England’s Queen, Elizabeth II, and got to be awarded the Queen’s Young Leaders Award.
At the palace, he decided to don his chef jacket, and that’s what ‘caught the queen’s attention’ he said.
From there, he was recalled among the lot (59 other participants) for a conversation about what he does and a request was made for him to cook.
That’s when he chose to cook his favourite dish “Waakye” for the Queen, coupled with some other African dishes.
One after the other, his work at Food for All Africa caught the attention of many others, so he subsequently got to meet French President, Emmanuel Macron and Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at the French Palace.
Since then, many have benefitted from his cooking and generosity, in ways unimaginable.
GhanaWeb’s Wonder Ami Hagan caught up with Elijah Amoo Addo on this edition of ‘People&Places’ and this is what he had to say.
Watch the full interview here:
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