COVID business risk pays off for Ghana’s Kess Eshun of Kess Kravings
An Immigrant from Ghana, Eshun moved to North Texas and opened up a cafe in the height of the pandemic. Now, she is helping other female chefs realize their full potential too. Chef Kess Eshun lives in Coppell, just north of Dallas. She loves to cook healthy, satisfying food. Eshun started cooking at a very young age.
“I was born in Ghana, West Africa,” she said. “I typically buy my ingredients from Farmer’s Markets and local grocery stores because I like fresh ingredients in all my recipes. In Ghana, I cooked with my grandmother and my mother three times a day, so that’s where I learned how to cook. They instilled in me seasoning. I learned my love of food.”
However, Eshun did not think that love for food could translate into a viable career.
“So I went to school to get my bachelor’s degree in computer science, and then went to get my MBA. But that passion for cooking just wouldn’t stop,” she explained.
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Even with multiple degrees, Eshun decided cooking was her calling. She went to culinary school. In the middle of the pandemic in 2020, she decided to go for it and opened up Kess Kravings in Coppell.
“Dec. 19, 2020, was the official date of opening Kess Kravings Patisserie. I decided to take the risk and the opportunity of having a standalone store where I can start doing the drive through and later open to full capacity,” Eshun said.
As Eshun celebrates the cafe’s one-year anniversary, she is turning towards helping others back in Ghana.“I am on the board of Most Def Foundation for hearing impaired teens,” she said. “Because I believe you don’t have to hear or talk to learn how to cook food. Cooking itself is a language.”
Eshun is also empowering women here in Texas.
“Very soon, I’ll be starting consulting services where I can help female chefs become successful.” she said.
Eshun’s advanced degrees are still coming in handy. She has been building her own technology and is developing an app to make food delivery less expensive for local restaurants. She wants smaller restaurants and independent chefs to benefit from a delivery service without it costing so much out of pocket.
Written by Ashley Claster / Spectrum1 News Texas
Oral Ofori is Founder and Publisher at www.TheAfricanDream.net, a digital storyteller and producer, and also an information and research consultant.
