Mary Kukua Anderson, a Ghanaian mother, has taken her love for traditional Ghanaian cuisine to the streets of Wales through her home-based food business.
Following the birth of her son, Mary decided to pursue a more flexible career path. “Since becoming a mother to my son Ronen, I realized the challenges of returning to a conventional full-time job,” Mary said in an interview with ITV News. “I sought a way to work from home, and I noticed a gap in the market for African restaurants in areas like Pontypridd, Treforest, and Taffs Well.”
On Valentine’s Day (February 14), she organized a gathering for the University of South Wales Ghana society where she showcased her culinary talents and Ghanaian flavors.
While initially suggested as a joke by friends, Mary turned the idea into a business by cooking for friends and turning her passion for sharing her cultural cuisine into a burgeoning business. She now personally delivers her homemade food to guests, making sure they taste the real flavors of Ghana.
Despite the challenges of delivering the food while primarily traveling on foot, Mary remains optimistic about the future. She hopes to open a restaurant and bar in Pontypridd, all inspired by African culture to create a warm environment with African flavors and ambiance that makes guests feel at home.
For Mary, this endeavor is about being present in her son’s upbringing while also making her mark as an entrepreneur. “When I’m cooking, he wants to be picked up, and when I pick him up, he just wants to see what I’m doing,” she said. “It makes the purpose of why I started this in the first place complete because I wanted to be here with him and not leaving him in a nursery or with a carer.”
Certainly, for Mary, her business venture fulfills her goal of being an involved parent while also sharing her love for Ghanaian food with the world.
