After years of working solo as a restauranteur, this Seattle-based Ghanaian chef partners up with a popular Fremont pizza place.
Blackstar Kebab, a beloved Seattle food truck built by a man named Priestwick Sackeyfio, brings the bold flavors of traditional Ghanaian cuisine to the city's community.
In a creative collaboration with the chefs at Tivoli, a pizza restaurant in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, WA, Sackeyfio has helped craft a unique fusion dish: the Shito (sauce) Pizza, blending the rich tastes of Ghanaian and “Italian-ish” flavors--available only for the month of January.
Sackeyfio’s special fusion came to life through a collaboration with Chef Jim of Tivoli, where they reinvented the beloved American-style pizza in an entirely new way. Sackeyfio and Chef Jim worked together to create the Blackstar pizza, a unique mix of Ghanaian shito chili oil with the usual cheese and comforting crust. Shito, a traditional Ghanaian sauce, is a bold, spicy, and sweet concoction, blending chili oil with rich flavors. The aroma of the sauce, combined with gooey cheese and a soft, glutenous crust, filled the room as the two culinary innovators admired their creation.
“As soon as I tried it,” said Chef Jim, “I was stoked.”
Sackeyfio grew up eating shito sauce alongside dishes like sardines and gari—a staple carbohydrate in West Africa—and it was a daily meal for him during his school years in Ghana. His partnership with Tivoli holds deep meaning for Sackeyfio, as it allows him to not only create a new dish combining popular flavors like cheese and spice but also to honor the memories of his childhood.
Born and raised in Accra, the capital of Ghana, Sackeyfio hails from a family deeply rooted in the country’s food industry. His grandfather was a well-known exporter of cocoa beans, a business his father later took over. Sackeyfio likens his family to the Kennedys—large, influential, and renowned.
Although he would eventually use the practice of exportation to promote his food in the U.S., Sackeyfio’s initial passion was for the creation of food. He learned the art of cooking from the women in his family, who played a key role in shaping his culinary skills. He carried this talent with him throughout his international journeys, bottling it up until the passion could be transformed into a career.
After completing his schooling at Lincoln Community School in Ghana, Sackeyfio moved to the United States, where he worked as a substitute teacher at Valley School. To continue teaching, he enrolled in community college in Everett and later transferred to Central Washington University in Ellensburg, where he earned degrees in Marketing and Business Administration.
Notably, Sackeyfio ran the Practice Perfect Soccer Camp for 20 years, a well-known soccer camp for kids in Seattle. He coached soccer at four Seattle high schools as well, including Nathan Hale and O’dea High School.
Sackeyfio also worked at several American food industry staples, including Albertsons, KFC, and Starbucks. While coaching and refereeing soccer games, he noticed the discomfort parents often faced—standing in the cold and rain, hungry and frustrated. He felt there was a need for good food to make those moments more comfortable. For Sackeyfio, quality food and drink are essential to daily life, making every experience a little better. So, he created his food truck business.
“The main reason why I opened up my business was because there is not a lot of representation of West African food or culture in Seattle,” said Sackeyfio, who uses his mom’s recipes for his business, Blackstar Kebab. “It’s a food that I grew up with. I was the only one doing this and I love it. I got up one day and said, ‘I’m going to do this.’”
Rather than opting for a stationary restaurant, Sackeyfio bought a small trailer to cater to his first desired audience: soccer moms and dads. He began to travel throughout the city, finding success with Seattle’s foodies, and in 2015, Blackstar Kebab became an official, popular business.
Over the past ten years, Sackeyfio has endured the up-and-downs that businesses typically do—specifically, his first truck was involved in an accident. However, Preistwick took this experience as an affirmation that because he survived, he must keep on pushing his business toward success.
“I don’t have much funds to operate,” said Sackeyfio. “While touring breweries with my food truck, I had people try the jollof rice, something that they never had before, and they loved it. You can’t give up. I love what I’m doing because it shows people that this food originated from far away, and they appreciate that type of thing.”
Sackeyfio notes how our Small Business Program at ACHD subsidized his commercial kitchen, and how he met a friend who also helped him out with his business. He emphasizes the importance of networking and making connections for small businesses.
Sackeyfio’s Blackstar Kebab isn’t just a food truck—it’s part of a larger community that values cultural diversity and authentic, organic, and unprocessed food. He emphasizes the importance of using fresh ingredients, a standard he feels is too often overlooked in American cuisine, where ultra-processed foods dominate. Promoting health by cooking high-quality food is one of Sackeyfio’s main goals, a primary pillar of his successful business.
“I grew up in the 50s and 60s,” Sackeyfio recalls. “My mother would send me to the market when I was four or five years old. I watched my sisters cook, my aunts—so many family members. I’d wake up with them at three in the morning to watch them bake with fresh foods. It’s like a dream to be able to pass on their powerful influence on the Seattle community.”
It was his mother’s meals, full of love and tradition, that inspired Sackeyfio's culinary journey. Through Blackstar Kebab, he continues to share the flavors of Ghana with the Seattle community, connecting people to his roots one dish at a time.
The collaboration between Sackeyfio and Tivoli Pizza is more than just a culinary experiment—it's a celebration of culture, heritage, and the power of food to connect people across continents. By blending traditional Ghanaian flavors with classic American comfort food, Sackeyfio has created something truly unique that resonates with both his past and the future of Seattle’s vibrant food scene. The Blackstar pizza is a delicious reminder of Sackeyfio’s roots, a new chapter in his culinary journey, and a testament to the richness of cultural exchange in the world of food. As Blackstar Kebab continues to grow, it stands as a symbol of the importance of community, innovation, and the joy of sharing authentic, meaningful flavors with others.
Comments