Chef Abby makes the TIME 100 Creators list. Here is what the recognition means for Ghana and African food creators.
If you ever doubted that food content can change a life, just look at Abena Amoakoaa Sintim-Aboagye. The internet knows her simply as Chef Abbys. Moreover, the Ghanaian culinary content creator has been named to TIME’s 2025 list of the 100 Most Influential Creators in the world. Consequently, this makes her one of the continent’s brightest digital stars right now.
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From Chef Abbys kitchen to global list
Chef Abbys didn’t blow up overnight. Instead, she started out just three years ago. She was filming in her own kitchen and sharing simple, colourful food videos online. Today, she has over 1.4 million followers on TikTok. Furthermore, her content has grown into a full-blown celebration of Ghanaian and African food culture.
She calls herself an “African Food Tourist”. That’s exactly what she does. Specifically, she travels through the continent using recipes as her passport. One day she’s making jollof and waakye for her audience. The next, she’s taking them to Burkina Faso with babenda. Or to Benin with amiwo. Additionally, she breaks down flavours beautifully. This makes you want to grab a plate immediately.
Why TIME is paying attention to Chef Abbys
TIME’s editors picked Chef Abby for how she uses food as a storytelling tool. It’s not just for pretty plates. Importantly, her videos don’t just list ingredients. Instead, they link dishes to the memories, struggles and values of the people behind them. Thus, every recipe becomes a mini culture lesson.
The recognition comes right after she represented Ghana at TikTok’s showcase. This happened during the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France. At the event, the platform highlighted standout creators from around the world. She’s achieved a lot in just a few years. Remarkably, she’s gone from “girl in the kitchen with a ring light” to sitting with media giants. Now she meets with some of the biggest names in advertising.
Big names, bigger moments
Chef Abbys isn’t just popular online. In fact, she’s moving in serious circles offline too. She has cooked with London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Moreover, she linked up with Nigerian digital star Enioluwa. She also hosted Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku. He and his family visited her kitchen in Ghana in May 2025.
Her TIME nod places her alongside global creators like Kai Cenat and Khaby Lame. This makes her one of the very few Ghanaians to hit that level. Indeed, she’s the first Ghanaian chef on this list. For young Africans everywhere, she has quickly become a reference point. Essentially, this shows that you can stay rooted in culture. You can cook your local food proudly. And still go global.
What this means for Ghanaian & African food
For Ghana, this is bigger than one creator trending for a week. Chef Abby is quietly rebranding local food as global content. Specifically, she’s putting waakye, kenkey, banku and more in front of audiences who may never have heard of them otherwise. Furthermore, her rise shows how digital platforms can preserve recipes and spark curiosity about heritage. Consequently, this opens doors for tourism, restaurants and food brands across the continent.
How Ghana’s Creators Spark A New African Narrative
It also signals a shift. African creators are no longer just following global trends. Instead, they’re setting them. They’re using culture-heavy content to stand out instead of blending in. If this is what three years of consistent content can do, Chef Abbys story might just be the blueprint. Ultimately, it’s for the next wave of Ghanaian and Nigerian creators ready to take their craft to the world.
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