American singer and businesswoman, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, has donated £8,000 to a Nigerian restaurant in North London almost on the verge of closure due to rising energy bills.
The restaurant named Chuku’s, which claims to be the world’s first Nigerian tapas restaurant is operated by two siblings, Emeka and Ifeyinwa Frederik.
Emeka and Ifeyinwa were one of the 10 winners to receive a grant from Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour, the Halo hitmaker’s foundation BeyGOOD.
The foundation had pledged to donate a share of $1 million (£806,000) to ten businesses in cities around the world and luckily for the Nigerians, they were on the top 10 list.
Beyoncé’s BeyGood Foundation established the Black Parade Small Business Impact Luncheon to “celebrate people, communities, and small businesses impacted by economic inequities worldwide,” with Beyoncé pledging £806,400 (N700m) to help companies.
The luncheon was hosted at the Four Seasons in Tower Hill, and over 100 entrepreneurs attended with the opportunity to win £806,000 in prizes.
The foundation opened shortly before the Covid pandemic began in 2020 and the owners said their restaurant had been “battered” by lockdowns and the cost of living crisis.
Luckily for Emeka and Ifeyinwa, they have now been given an extra boost by Beyonce’s foundation, with the grant awarded during the Black Parade Small Business Impact Luncheon, created by BeyGOOD to ‘celebrate people, communities, and small businesses impacted by economic inequities worldwide’.
Chuku co-founder Emeka said:
“This grant couldn’t be more welcome. Chuku’s, like other restaurants that don’t have a financial reserve, has been battered by lockdowns and the cost of living crisis.
Every day, we’re fighting to stay open to make it to our fourth birthday.’’
‘’This money will make that fight a little easier and allow us to continue celebrating Nigerian culture on Tottenham’s High Road for the time being.”
While his sister Ifeyinwa added:
“I still can’t quite believe that Beyoncé has backed our restaurant – it feels a bit surreal”