Meet LaTansia
Afia Ameyaw

A lifelong love affair with food.

I have had a love for cooking and baking since I was a pre-teen. I was always gravitated to the kitchen, wanting to help or learn how to cook different meals with my great-grandma. From the very beginning, food was never just food — it was connection, it was memory, it was a way to be close to the people I loved most.

I have always loved to cook and share with others. It's a great feeling when you make food that makes other people happy. There's something almost sacred about watching someone take that first bite, close their eyes for a moment, and just enjoy. That moment is what I chase, every single day, in every dish that leaves my kitchen.

I love cooking food from different cultures. With the US being so multicultural, it's easy to find all the different spices needed to make whatever you like — and I took full advantage of that. My family loved to eat my cooking, and I loved to cook and bake for them. Every gathering, every holiday, every random Sunday — the kitchen was where I belonged.

I am grateful to have this restaurant. It helps me bring a piece of those cultures from the States to the diaspora and to Ghanaians who want to taste something different, something layered, something cooked with love. Black Castle Grill is my way of saying thank you — to my great-grandma, to my family, to every culture that ever shared a recipe with me.

I am a self-taught chef and baker. I have a natural talent for research and development of recipes, because I want to serve only the best — and that means always pushing myself to improve my culinary skills. There is no finish line in this kitchen. There is only the next plate, made better than the last.