later, three diners walk in, undecided about whether they should have lunch in the restaurant or in the yard. Kwame excuses himself and introduces himself to them. In no time, he has managed to convince them to have their lunch under one of the cool shaded trees, which they do. They cannot thank him enough when they finish, even complimenting him on the serene atmosphere and wonderful scenery. When I commend him on how well he handled the situation, he replies, “We have positioned ourselves in a manner that enables us to focus on the customer. As you can see, customer feedback is something that is very important to us, and we are quite intentional about it. If they have any complaints or feedback, we take them on board.” Just as we pause our chat, I notice several African Americans seated a few tables away from us, ordering some intercontinental dishes. On the table opposite them, two men have ordered two big plates of Waakye, with the waitress positioning the plates of delicious-looking meals garnished with different-colored peppers and salads on their table. As she begins to walk back to the kitchen, one of the African Americans, looking all curious, beckons to her and asks her to tell him about the Waakye, after which they decide that they would rather have the Waakye dish. “You see?” Kwame, who has also been watching the scene, points out proudly, “that is a classic example of the unique culture and values that define Villandro. I think what’s unique about us is our deliberate intention to blend continental, in terms of food and beverage operations, and make it appealing to both locals and foreign guests. Even our set-up is internationally appealing. You would agree that we are one of the very few green spaces for this kind of establishment in Accra.” The furniture, he says, pointing to the tables and chairs stylishly arranged all around the exterior, furniture that looks like they have been freshly hewn out of trees and which do have an ageless appeal. “Look around and you will see that one of the key things with regards to our procurement is to, as much as possible, find local materials with local ingredients. With regard to this furniture you are seeing, we have a facility in Ho, where literally 90% of the furniture was made here in Ghana. We intend to locally design, and locally produce all the furniture in Kumasi; beds, chairs, tables. Even if the local product is a little more expensive than an imported one, we still want to opt for the locally produced products. By doing this, we are also supporting local initiatives. Kwame goes on to talk passionately about his plans for Villandro’s upcoming fifth-year anniversary. “We plan to work with some needy schools in the community, where either on a weekly or a daily basis, we can offer them meals. We think that we should share food beyond the pockets that come here.” As the day gradually turns into evening, Kwame asks that we move to sit outside. By now, the whole Villandro yard is transformed into an amazing haven of lights, hung from tree branches so that they look like magical lemon fruits, the whole place giving off vibes of an exotic Hong Kong garden, still giving off the Ghanaian essence. I wonder whether there are any plans for expansion. To this, Kwame responds, “yeah, we have a facility in Ho, which we are hoping to expand, probably towards the end of this year. The facility in of how resilient the facility, set up in 2019, has been since many similar facilities that started out with them in the affluent East Legon neighborhood have collapsed. As soon as I sit down, a waiter appears by my side to take my orders for drinks. I opt for their special cocktail drink, which is indeed refreshing. A couple of minutes 61 The Birthday Journal
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