Flavour and spice are woven into the very fabric of who Ekua is. Her affinity for tasty culinary creations stems from her childhood where the rich taste of her mother’s mouth-watering West African traditional dishes represented home, family and culture. At the hands of this seasoned culinarian, Ekua learned everything there is to know about cooking West African cuisine.
When her family migrated to Canada from Ghana, Ekua was an integral part of the opening and running of her family’s restaurant in Brampton, Ontario. The dynamic mother-daughter duo cooked hearty meals seasoned to perfection. Their mastery of West African favourites garnered praise from the West African diaspora who longed for a taste of home, as well as people from other cultural backgrounds who were drawn to the irresistible food. The restaurant had a wildly successful run from 1995-2019 then transitioned to a catering business when Ekua’s mother retired.
While remaining heavily involved in the family business, Ekua partnered with her husband to create a successful wedding décor company in 2008. Then the pandemic hit, bringing their business to a screeching halt. The serial entrepreneurs found themselves stuck at home like everyone else. They knew they needed to pivot, but how? Then an idea came to mind. While the lockdown prevented people from going out to eat, they still needed to eat. So why not bring the food to them? Ekua decided to return to her culinary roots and began creating meal plans and delivering the food to her customers.
Thinking back on her childhood, there was one particular treat that was cherished by both kids and adults alike – African Puff Puff. It was the perfect comfort food suitable for any kind of occasion. Like many West African natives, Ekua had grown up loving the warm and delectable taste of fresh homemade Puff Puff; but the problem was that the preparation process was very time-consuming and did not gel well with the busy North American lifestyle.
Everybody loved Puff Puff, but no one had the time to make it as often as they liked. Driven by a deep desire to deliver a taste from home to the West African community in North America, Ekua began to research Puff Puff mixes on the market.
She discovered that while there were some notable attempts by a handful of companies to pre-package the goodness of the popular deep-fried dough, none captured the true original flavour, charm and freshness of homemade Puff Puff. There had to be a way to get the ingredients just right and formulate a convenient Puff Puff mix that did not compromise on taste.
The goal was to make a Puff Puff recipe that was versatile and as transcendent as possible, catering to both the North American and the African palate. Ekua enlisted the expertise of her mother and began testing different ingredient combinations and ratios. Relying on feedback from eager family members who signed up as tasters – namely her husband and daughter – Ekua spent many months tirelessly tweaking the recipe, determined to make each batch better than the last.
Once the mixture was right, the next challenge was making sure the packaging kept the yeast fresh. Once again, the Ekua’s Kitchen team went through a rigorous trial and error process and finally found a way to extend the shelf life of their product. Two years and countless tastings later, Ekua finally had the perfect Puff Puff mix and packaging that preserved the beloved flavour so many have come to love.
In December 2022, Buffrot Puff Puff Mix entered the market with a bang and is fast becoming a household brand in Canada. The product even garnered raving reviews from people in Ghana who sampled the product – a sure sign that Buffrot Puff Puff Mix carries the authentic taste of home.
Buffrot Puff Puff Mix is available in select local stores in the GTA and can be ordered online.