Chuku’s secures first bricks and mortar site
It follows a successful crowdfunding campaign by sibling founders Ifeyinwa and Emeka Frederick earlier this year, which saw the pair raise £36,150 over a 30-day period.
“Tottenham was always an area we wanted to be a part of, and we had our hearts set on this site before we started crowdfunding,” says Ifeyinwa to BigHospitality.
“For us it’s really exciting to be opening there.”
Promoted as ‘the world's first Nigerian tapas restaurant’, Chuku’s was founded in 2016 and has since appeared in locations across London including Spitalfields’ Canvas café and Nest in Hackney.
It has been recognised as one of the 15 Most Exciting Food and Drink Entrepreneurs in the UK by the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, and won a Virgin global entrepreneurship competition in 2016.
Serving authentic cuisine against a backdrop of Nigerian afrobeats and contemporary art, the founders have labelled Chuku’s dining experience as “chop, chat, chill”.
Menu options in the past have included jollof quinoa, a healthy spin on the traditional jollof rice; and Chuku’s ‘signature’ plantain waffles – both of which, Ifeyinwa tells BigHospitality, will be available at the Tottenham restaurant.
New additions, meanwhile, will include Sinasir and Miyan Taushe, a rice pancake topped with a pumpkin and peanut sauce that’s inspired by Emeka's recent travels to Kano in Northern Nigeria.
“The dish comes from one of the biggest tribes in Nigeria,” says Ifeyinwa.
“And we wanted to make sure we had something on the menu that spoke to that culture.”
Ifeyinwa adds that, as before, the focus will be on making sure much of the menu is gluten-free, and suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
“Emeka and I have spent a lot of time this year working on menu development,” she says.
“We’ll likely start off mainly serving dishes we’ve created before, but we’re looking to expand it over the course of the first year.”
