St. Louis Character: Togolese chef opens restaurant, bringing West African flavors to new community

Reported by St. Louis Business Journal

Growing up in Togo, West Africa, Adjo Honsou was used to community and connection. She was also accustomed to cooking as part of her daily life.

"I've always cooked," she said. "It was a natural part of life living in Africa. But cooking as a business came much later in life."

Honsou moved to New York with her family when she was 14 years old. Her mother didn't like it there and wanted something "more quiet," Honsou said, so they moved to St. Louis.

Today, Honsou owns and operates Fufu n' Sauce, a Togolese restaurant located at 8100 Page Ave., which she opened in June 2025. She is currently renting the space and invested about $30,000 to get it ready for opening. Honsou has one full-time and two part-time employees currently. Read more.