Taking West African Food Fast Casual with Ruth Nakaar

Ruth Nakaar is the founder and owner of Fudena, a food concept currently based in Philadelphia that aims to be America’s first West African fast-casual restaurant chain. Think Chipotle but with the bold flavors of West Africa. Initially an idea she started working on while pursuing her MBA at Wharton, Ruth went from hosting recipe tastings for friends and classmates in her tiny studio apartment to cooking out of a commercial kitchen and serving all of Philadelphia. The love for the food she grew up with as a first-generation Ghanaian American drives Ruth’s passion to push West African cuisine into the U.S. culinary mainstream. She has an MBA from Wharton and a BA in Political Science from Yale University. Find Fudena online: Website: www.eatfudena.com Instagram: @eatfudena ---- Follow Item 13 on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @item13podcast Don’t forget to subscribe & leave us a review!