Worcester restaurateur gave up business in Ghana, moved to US to live American dream
WORCESTER — Even though he owned and operated a business in Ghana, Emmanuel Paintsil dropped everything and immigrated to the U.S. in 1990 to pursue his American dream.
“It was tough, but once I believe you can’t get everything so straight in life and you have to go through hills and valleys, that’s when your man had to keep on struggling,” said Paintsil of Worcester, owner of Elder Paintsil's African Restaurant on 984 Main St.
He lived in Cape Coast, the capital of the central region of southern Ghana, before coming to the U.S.
In Ghana, Paintsil was an auto mechanic with his own repair business. But not long after starting his business, he set his mind on the U.S.
“That was my dream when I was a little boy,” Paintsil said.
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Paintsil first visited Germany before arriving in New York at age 30. His wife and kids followed soon after he settled there.
Paintsil and his family lived in New York for eight years, but he wanted to move to someplace more affordable. He worked as a custodian at a hospital in New York and worked part-time for a package delivery company.
One day, when he was delivering a package to Worcester, and he fell in love with the community. He said Worcester is nice, quiet and affordable. In 1997, he and his family moved to Worcester.
Unlike many other immigrants who encountered many hardships through their immigration journey, for Paintsil, it went smoothly even though his wife didn't like the idea of moving so far away from home, he said.
“As soon as you make up your mind to do anything that you want to do, you can achieve it,” Paintsil said. “As a young man, I had so many dreams and visions to achieve.”
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Before Paintsil and his wife started the restaurant in 2005, he worked as a quality control officer at a computer company for years.
In Ghana, he said his father operates five restaurants and has been in the restaurant business since he was little. But he said he was never interested in running one himself.
However, his wife had been encouraging him to open a restaurant as she loves cooking. Now, Paintsil handles management and his wife does the cooking.
The Ghanaian dishes they serve include a variety of fufuo soups made with chicken, fish and goat, as well as awaakye and banku.
Orders can be placed in-person or online at elderpaintsilsafricanrestaurant.com, or by calling 508-755-5110.
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Since visiting Ghana 16 years ago, when his mother died, Paintsil has never returned as his restaurant has always been busy and he also needed to take care of his five children.
Paintsil has 20 siblings in Ghana and two others who died.
Paintsil always has a positive attitude, saying that nothing was really hard or challenging when moving here, even the language and cultural differences.
The only hardship in operating a restaurant, he said, is long overnight stretches preparing foods for the next day, ending when he leaves at 7 a.m. He said he sleeps for only three hours most nights.
As for retirement, Paintsil, 61, said that he will probably wait another two years or so.
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This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Emmanuel Paintsil Elder Paintsil's African Restaurant Ghana Worcester
