Providing primarily plant-based West African food to Central New York through pop-ups, catering, and cooking classes

CATERING

We cater individual meals and events and offer in-home culinary experiences or demos at your venue.

West African Cooking Classes

CLASSES & LESSONS

Chef Kuukua's warmth and passion will leave you inspired to cook West African food at home.

West African Pop-Up

POP-UPS

Here's where you can find Chef Kuukua and Asempe Kitchen.

Curious to experience the culinary adventure of West African cuisine?

Meet Chef Kuukua

Akwaaba! Welcome! My name is Kuukua. I arrived in the United States 28 years 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.

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.

  • I've eaten at their booth multiple times at the Ithaca Farmer's Market and never been disappointed! Most recently, I got the casava couscous, which was a great mixture of spices, flavors, and textures that kept me coming back for more. The spinach stew is so filling and delicious and paired beautifully with the delicacy of the saffron rice. finally, plantains are one of my favorite foods ever, and Asempe's plantains have only solidified their standing in my rankings-- so sweet and satisfying.

    Leora S.

  • We had a private family cooking class with Kuukua from Asempe Kitchen today and it was more than we could have asked for. Kuukua was so knowledgeable and the food was delicious. We loved sharing the experience of cooking and eating a meal with her. Our kids, aged 7 and 9, did much of the cooking and this was such a great experience for all of us. We would totally do this again and recommend Chef Kuukua's food or the cooking classes to anyone!

    Sara P.

  • As a travel and food writer, I can say that Asempe Kitchen Catering makes fresh, delicious, authentic, modern Ghanaian food. I’ve used them for multiple events, and they are reliable, professional, and fairly priced - plus it definitely makes my parties unique! Now I don’t even bother specifying a menu - I know I can count on Asempe to provide a variety of flavorful, handcrafted dishes to surprise and delight my guests. Chef Kuukua is fun, passionate and knowledgeable, and her homemade hot sauce is the truth!

    Faith A.

  • Took the cooking class at Salt City Market. We made peanut soup, fufu, and a couple of other dishes. The class was fun, engaging and interactive. I definitely recommend taking this class and hiring Chef Kuukua for catering.

    Shawni D.

  • Kuukua is wonderful. She really cares about her clients and wants to make sure they really experience African Culture and History through her food. So to me and my guest that had the pleasure to taste the delicious food, we felt extremely emotionally connected. I definitely recommend working with her and allowing her to cater any event.

    Makeda M.

“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. some twenty-eight years ago.”

- Chef Kuukua

Contact Us

chefkuukua@asempekitchen.com
315-546-4545

Ithaca, NY