West African Restaurant, Catering & Cooking Classes
📍 114. West Green Street, Ithaca, NY
Lunch: Thurs - Fri 11:30-3 PM
Dinner: Thurs - Sat 5-9 PM
Brunch: Sunday 12-4
CATERING
We cater individual meals and events and offer in-home culinary experiences or demos at your venue.
CLASSES & LESSONS
Chef Kuukua's warmth and passion will leave you inspired to cook West African food at home.
VISIT US
Here's where you can find Chef Kuukua and Asempe Kitchen.
Curious to experience the culinary adventure of West African cuisine?
Akwaaba! Welcome! My name is Kuukua. I arrived in the United States almost 3 decades ago. Since then I’ve tried to make a home for myself no matter where I am. Creating community is one of my passions, and a big part of that is food making and eating. I’ve decided to take this passion out of my kitchen and into my city. This is where you come in!
I’d love to help you create or sustain community through food. Let’s talk about your team, your upcoming event, or even your neighborhood – and dream up ways we can use Asempe Kitchen’s cuisine to connect cultures, and communicate with each other.
Meet Chef Kuukua
OUR VALUES
CURIOSITY
Asempe loosely translates to “Curiosity” in Fante, the mother tongue of Chef Kuukua Yomekpe. Asempe Kitchen offers traditional Ghanaian dishes, adapted for the western palate. Asempe cooks in olive oil instead of Palm oil, bringing a fresh approach to West African cuisine.
ADVENTURE
Asempe flirts with tradition by creating dips, curries, and stir-fries that spin off of the Ghanaian froyi (stews) and nkwan (soups) Chef Kuukua was raised on. For the more adventurous palate, Asempe offers Moko, their signature hot sauce of habeneros and serranos blended with garlic, ginger, onions and spices.
LEARNING
Asempe Kitchen caters parties, receptions, corporate, team-building and other events. Join Chef Kuukua in her kitchen, or invite her to infuse your kitchen with Asempe! Let us feed you lunch at your office luncheon or dinner in the comfort of your home.
“When we break bread with others/strangers, we begin to cross boundaries, which in turn creates a bond that removes ‘other’ from our lexicon even if momentarily. My family and I have been inviting others into our kitchen and to our table since I moved to the U.S. nearly 3 decades ago.”
- Chef Kuukua
Visit Us
114 W. Green Street, Ithaca, NY
315-546-4545
Hours
Thurs - Sat
5-9pm