Liberian Chef and Local Church Team Up to Open Authentic African Restaurant in West Chester

Chef Chrisetta Nyepan (left) discusses business plans with First Pres Senior Pastor Andrew Esqueda and Associate Pastor Caroline Cupp.

This is part of a series on West Chester entrepreneurs. Know someone who’s taking an innovative approach to the mantra, “Follow your dream?” I’d love to share their story. Thank you to Benchmark Federal Credit Union for making this expanded content possible.

Diversifying West Chester’s Food Mix

West Chester Borough has an abundance of Italian restaurants and more than its fair share of American-style pubs, European-style too. Steakhouses, sushi, and Mexican — they are all covered. However, once you start to move past American dining standards things start to thin out. While there are a couple of Caribbean options, West Chester has been without an Indian restaurant since 2022. Chinese is limited to King’s Garden Express, and most of the southern hemisphere is downright missing.

That is until Chrisetta Nyepan opened Chrisetta’s Kitchen in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church on W. Miner St. late last year. The takeout menu features the cuisine of her native Liberia and includes West African favorites like Check Rice with Gravy, Jollof Rice with kidney beans (delicious), or vegan Cassava Leaf and Fufu, a dough-like ball made from dried plantains. There are fried plantains, too, and made-to-order fish and chicken dishes.

Less is More Cooking

In a partnership facilitated by Facebook, Chrisetta’s Kitchen operates out to the basement of the First Presbyterian Church of West Chester.

“In Liberia, there is a huge level of poverty so we eat what we grow,” explains Chrisetta who learned to cook in her adoptive mom’s kitchen, first in Liberia, and then at her Philadelphia restaurant. The cassava, the plantains, the rice – they were all grown within walking distance. Even the red palm oil the dishes are prepared in was grown at home and then hand-squeezed from the fruit of the palm tree.

The menu rotates daily and all items are handmade using only a few unrefined ingredients.

“In Africa, the process is so long. You have to make everything from scratch,” she says. The benefit of all that effort is the population suffers from few food-inflicted health ailments. Obesity and heart disease levels are low. Residents are more likely to suffer from a snake bite than high diabetes. Doctor visitors are rare and usually reserved for serious illnesses like malaria or car crashes.

Today, Chrisetta affords herself a few luxuries like purchased red palm oil but still, she is careful of her supplier. Whole Foods carries it, but the end product is too processed for Chrisetta’s taste. “If you use the refined palm oil the Africans will complain,” she tells me.

Accepting a Helping Hand

Chrisetta’s Kitchen is here in large part thanks to a West Chester Facebook Group post and the generosity of the First Presbyterian Church, whose rental terms, we’ll just say, are a bit more generous than many downtown locations.

“We structured it so Chrisetta could succeed,” said Senior Pastor Andrew Esqueda. That is not to say the church is not also benefiting from the relationship. It gives them another opportunity to use their commercial kitchen while furthering their mission to help support the greater West Chester community.

“Churches are not just places people go on Sundays,” says Rev. Andrew.

Besides the food is delicious.

“We are very happy landlords,” agrees Senior Associate Pastor Caroline Cupp.

Just don’t plan to come every day. “It’s comfort food,” says Chrisetta. “It will keep you full.”

Chrisetta’s Kitchen is open Monday through Saturday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Orders can be placed through Uber Eats or directly at 484-630-1818. Credit card only. In honor of Black History Month, Chrisetta is hosting a “Sweet and Savory” West African Bake Sale throughout February. Call the number above to learn more.

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