Adé Carrena uses food to bring people together and bridge the gap between North Carolina and West Africa
On a map, North Carolina and the small, West African country of Benin appear very far apart. The capital cities of Raleigh and Porto Novo are separated by about 8,800 miles as the crow flies. Chef Adé Carrena is on a mission to help you realize that maybe the cultures aren’t so different, culinarily. Carrena, the superstar behind Raleigh-based spice company iLéwa Foods and Dounou Foods, was recently crowned the North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association’s Chef of the Year, for helping to bridge the gap between southern cuisine and West African cuisine. She blends the recipes she grew up…