ELMINA

In a three-story 3,720 SF brick edifice, Top Chef Eric Adjepong unveils ELMINA—his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, imagined and realized with an experiential and culinary spirit that reflects his Ghanaian heritage. We designed a space that evokes modern Africa while acknowledging the complexities of its past. Its name is a poignant reference to the Ghanaian fishing port that became the site of the first European slave-trading post in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Drawing from this period of history, the design highlights the prized commodities of the transatlantic slave trade—tobacco, indigo, metal, sugar cane, cotton and wood—each element brought to life across six distinct programs.

The upstairs dining room is enveloped by a deep indigo, alluding to the vast seas navigated by enslaved peoples, while the mezzanine space features metal accents symbolizing the identification badges worn by slaves. A cocktail lounge cloaked in burnt reds references tobacco, the green terrace evokes sugar cane, and the soft, light tones in the room downstairs reflects the complexity of cotton. Wood elements in the lower level washrooms recall the transatlantic ships that once carried both enslaved people and precious goods.