By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi, GNA
Accra, Oct. 27, GNA – Ms Sloan Sanford, a diaspora entrepreneur, has established an African-American soul food bakery in East Legon, Accra, to connect Ghanaian and African-American cultures through food while creating jobs and supporting local businesses.
The business, Sloan Pie and Cakes, celebrates African-American culinary heritage and provides an avenue for members of the diaspora to reconnect with their ancestral roots through traditional cuisine.
Ms Sanford said she was surprised to discover similarities between Ghanaian and African-American foods, citing grits, black-eyed peas and okra as examples of ingredients shared by the two communities.
She said grits, which she initially struggled to identify in Ghana, were known locally as “Ekweigbemi”, while black-eyed peas were commonly called cowpeas, adding that some of the foods she had started serving include sweet potatoe, waffle, catfish and fried chicken amongst others.
She said the similarities demonstrated how African cultural heritage had survived generations of displacement, particularly through food, despite the forced migration of Africans to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade.
Beyond cultural exchange, Ms Sanford said the bakery was contributing to Ghana’s economy by employing five young Ghanaians and engaging consultants to support its operations.
She said the business was collaborating with local farmers to cultivate orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and collard greens, working with a local mill to produce white corn grits, and partnering with Heritage Brewing Company to incorporate locally produced stout and lager into its food products.
Ms Sanford said diaspora-led businesses could strengthen local supply chains, create employment and provide new economic opportunities for farmers and other local industries.
Ms Keren Odaah Johnson, a Diaspora Creative Strategist urged diaspora members to invest in Ghana and work with local entrepreneurs to advance the country’s development.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, she said shared culinary traditions, including red-red and black-eyed peas, demonstrated the enduring cultural connections between Ghana and the diaspora, noting that diaspora members were returning not only to celebrate but also to invest, build relationships and contribute to Africa’s progress.
Ms Johnson, a proud dual citizen, commended the business for using locally sourced ingredients, collaborating with Ghanaian entrepreneurs and training staff from across the diaspora.
Madam Diane Lucas, who came with her children and had been living in Ghana for two months, said: ” The foods are an important part of the African American Diaspora – the culture and traditions. They taste good and the the involvement of the local content is great. And so I have come to support the business.”
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
Patrick Ofoe Nudzi