Atlanta is known for its rich history and thriving Black business community. However, when the sun goes down, the city comes alive with nightlife as vivacious as its daytime activity. Kofi Maafo and Keith Aweke are two friends who are determined to leave their mark on ATL’s hospitality scene as they prepare to open the second location for their internationally acclaimed restaurant, Bloom Bar.
In 2017, Maafo and Aweke opened Bloom Bar’s first location in Ghana. Since then, the bar has become a social hub for locals in Accra and has gained notoriety for its immersive nightlife experience featuring live music, West African cuisine and a thoughtfully designed venue bathed in radiant hues of light.
After six years of success, the co-founders are now looking to introduce their bar experience to a new audience and solidify Bloom Bar as a global concept possessing as much longevity as their 33-year-long friendship.
From Friends to Business Partners
Maafo and Aweke first met in Ghana while attending preschool. The four-year-old boys quickly developed a friendship that would find itself lasting way beyond their formative years. Although the physical distance between them significantly increased during their individual pursuits of higher education, they still managed to remain in close contact.
Aweke moved to New York to fulfill his dream of becoming a mixologist, later graduating from NY Bartending School and the Institute of Culinary Education. Maafo remained in Accra, earning his Executive MBA from the University of Ghana and managing several businesses across the sports, mining and food supply industries.
“I managed quite a few businesses in Ghana and one of the things I loved the most was making people happy,” says Maafo. “The idea of bringing people into a space and entertaining them made me want to start my own business in the hospitality industry.”
After realizing his epiphany, Maafo decided to bring his vision to fruition by opening a restaurant. He knew Aweke would make the perfect business partner, given his culinary expertise and familiarity with Ghana’s hospitality landscape.
Aweke graciously joined forces with his childhood friend and they began to leverage their decades of collective work, combining Maafo’s knowledge of business operations and Aweke’s passion for conceptualizing food and beverage menus.
Creating the Bloom Bar Experience
“For about a year and a half, we started doing our research and identifying opportunities on how we would develop a bar,” says Maafo. “We realized most bars in Ghana during that time were very VIP-oriented.”
Aweke adds, “We saw that as an opportunity to bring something different and create a space where people didn’t feel like they have to show off to feel included.”
The entrepreneurial duo envisioned a majestic bar experience in Ghana that promised sophistication without sacrificing inclusivity. Adorned with accents of Ghanaian impala lilies and warm lighting, Bloom Bar’s layout was intentionally designed to encourage mingling and create a setting where everyone can feel comfortable and embraced by those surrounding them.
In addition to being known for its ambiance and social atmosphere, Bloom Bar is also infamous for serving elevated West African street food like jollof rice, as well as fusion fare like samosas and spring rolls.
“The beautiful thing about Ghanaian cuisine is its mass fusion of different cultures,” says Aweke. “From Caribbean, Chinese, European and Indian, we basically have a little bit of everything in our street food.”
Bloom Bar has amassed over 40,000 social media followers and is often lauded by locals as an experience waiting to be discovered in the heart of Accra. To date, Bloom Bar has received awards for “Best Nightlife” and “Best Game Changer” from the Guest Experience Masters Awards and was also ranked by Uber as Ghana’s most visited destination in 2021.
By Marcus Avery Christon
Cuisine Noir Magazine is the country’s first Black food publication, launched in 2009 and dedicated to connecting the African diaspora through food, drink and travel. To read the rest of this article and more, visit www.cuisinenoirmag.com.
