How a promising Ghanaian footballer became ‘fast food chef’

Growing up, Simon had always dreamed of becoming a footballer. But as fate may have it, things did not go as planned and he had to settle as a fast food chef.

Simon had lived all his life in Bono East, Kintampo to be precise and only got the chance to visit Ghana’s capital city through football.

He was among a team of four players who were hoping to get an opportunity to play at the highest level in their career.

However, things took a sudden turn, three months into his stay in Accra when the agent who brought him to Accra decided to quit football and pursue a career as a health professional.

“I am from Bono and I came to Accra because of football. The person who brought us to Accra was good to us. We were four players and he rented a room for us at Labadi and we were training,” Simon said on GhanaWeb's Everyday People show.

He added, “Three months after our stay, the person got a call from his relatives to come to Germany and school as a doctor, so he had no option but to go.”

With his football dreams seemingly fading, Simon chose to stay in Accra and joined a friend in Madina, where an unexpected passion for cooking emerged.

Enrolled in the fast-food business by his friend, Simon attempted to balance work and football. Yet, faced with the pressures of life in Accra, he ultimately had to make a choice.

“Two of the players left, one went to Achimota and I came to Madina. You know the pressure in Accra, so I had to be working with my friend at Madina and later they introduced me to their boss.”

“I used to train before coming to work because it was football I was focused on but as I realized things were going to become difficult I decided to help them. So they opened a branch for my friend and me, but the owner died and they closed my branch,” Simon recounted.

With determination, Simon decided to forge his path, starting his own business, SM Fast Food. Despite initial success selling fried plantain (Kelewele) with plain rice, he aspired to expand into a broader fast-food menu.

To enhance his culinary skills, Simon enrolled in Cake Techniques, graduating successfully.

Although he learned various dishes, he chose to specialize in fried rice.

“I started selling fried plantain [Kelewele] with plain rice, it did well but I wanted to move into fast food so I quickly attended Cake Techniques and graduated successfully. I learnt how to cook a lot of dishes over there but I decided to stick with fried rice,” the ex-player said.

Through his hard work and determination, Simon not only achieved personal milestones, such as renting a room in Accra but also built a family with his wife and child.

Looking ahead, Simon harbours the hope of opening more branches of SM Fast Food in his hometown of Kintampo.

Additionally, he dreams of venturing into other aspects of football, showcasing resilience and entrepreneurial spirit in the face of unexpected challenges.



JNA/BB