Chef Eric Adjepong poses during the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival Dinner. | Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images for NYCWFF The Top Chef finalist’s new restaurant, Elmina, will honor “the incredibly rich cuisine and flavors from the African continent.” Food Network star Eric Adjepong announced this week on instagram that he will be opening his first brick-and-mortar restaurant in January 2025. Adjepong will put a “contemporary spin” on traditional West African food at Elmina, which will be vaguely located “in the heart of Washington, D.C.,” according to a press release. “This is my life’s passion project,” Adejpong told Eater via email. “I knew from a young age that I wanted to own a restaurant that celebrates African culture and the food that I love, so watching Elmina slowly come to life has been such a surreal experience.” Adedayo Kosoko Chef Eric Adjepong plates doubles that were supposed to be featured at his Union Market stall in 2020. The Top Chef Season 16 finalist and Wildcard Kitchen host has been busy with a multitude of projects, including hosting two Food Network shows, publishing his first children’s book, and working on an upcoming cookbook, after plans fell through for his first D.C. shop, On the Double, during the pandemic. The fast-casual counter selling roti flatbreads and doubles was slated to open in Union Market in Spring 2020. Classic Ghanian dishes, like fufu and kelewele (spicy fried plantains), will be featured on a la carte and tasting menus at Elmina, along with new interpretations of traditional ingredients like “spicy cassava udon noodles and egusi hummus.” Other flavors from the region — including mango, hibiscus, soursop, and passion fruit — will appear on the cocktail menu. Adejpong says the new space will have two floors and seat up to 124 diners. “I can’t wait to serve the D.C. community,” Adjepong writes.