It took Candice Mensah several decades to get into the restaurant business, though she’s been dreaming of a career in hospitality since she was a child. The owner of the Ghanaian-inspired fast casual spot Hedzole (pronounced hey-joe-lay) in Sixteenth Street Heights was born on 16th Street NW, not far from where her restaurant now resides, but she moved to Alexandria as a young child. Both her parents are from Accra, Ghana. Her father came to the States in 1972 and her mother followed in 1976; Candice was born two years later.

Her mother was the cook of the family, sticking mostly to Ghanaian classics, such as okra stew paired with rice, yam, mashed potatoes, or gari (finely grated cassava root). However, on Thursday nights, Mensah’s mom would often trot out something popular in their new homeland, such as spaghetti or lasagna. And her family loved hosting classic backyard barbecues, when their grill would be packed with hamburgers and hot dogs.

Sometimes the traditions blended, like when fried chicken wound up atop jollof rice. Then there was the remixed potato salad her mother gave a Ghanaian attitude by using Miracle Whip-like salad cream, baked beans, and onions. “I know most people will probably say, ‘What kind of a potato salad is that?!!?,’ Mensah says, “but it’s really, really good.”

Her mother was a generous teacher, instructing her in how to make traditional Ghanaian dishes while allowing her the latitude to try to tackle new cuisines. These culinary experiments often happened after the young chef watched Yan Can Cook or The Galloping Gourmet on PBS.

By the time she was 12, Mensah knew she wanted to work in the restaurant industry because she loved making people happy through her food. It seemed like her parents would support her dream, always telling her she could be whatever she wanted to be when she grew up.

But when she was older, their tune changed.

“Suddenly it became, ‘You can be anything you want to be—as long as you’re a doctor, lawyer, or engineer,’” she says.

Her vision was put on the back burner as she took a 20-year detour in the health-care information technology industry. But her dream kept bubbling away, always lurking at the edge of her thoughts.

As she closed in on her 40th birthday, she took stock of her career and the arc of her life. Though she was making a good living, it wasn’t where she wanted to be. “I felt like I was just floating: not really inspired, not challenged in the right way,” she says.

It felt like a now-or-never moment for her longtime dream. Relying on savings and recipes that resonated with her family’s roots, she launched her build-a-bowl concept Hedzole, which means “freedom” in the Ghanaian Ga language.

She debuted her fledgling concept on her birthday in 2019 at the Taste of Springfield food festival. Buoyed by ebullient feedback, she began selling at Northern Virginia farmers markets, where she gained a die-hard following. It was there her parents finally recognized the worth of her vision. “When my dad started seeing the lines, then it was like, ‘Oh, this is real. I guess I gotta get behind it,’” Mensah says.

After a stint at Urbanspace food hall at Tysons Galleria, where she continued fine-tuning her recipes, pricing, and concept, she opened her brick and mortar in Sixteenth Street Heights in April. Decorated with bright splashes of colorful Ghanaian fabrics, a neon sign on the wall proclaims “Chop Life,” a West African phrase meaning ‘enjoy life to the fullest.’ There are just a dozen seats inside, though Mensah hopes to open the patio this fall, if it’s approved. Takeout and delivery are also available.

Hedzole allows guests to choose their own dining adventures. Except for the meats that can top off the bowls, every component is vegan. Diners begin by choosing a base: tomato-y jollof rice, waakye (rice punctuated with black-eyed peas), or coconut rice (“I couldn’t just do white rice because that seemed really pedestrian,” Mensah says.). The ancient West African grain fonio should be added soon.

Sauce gets ladled on next. Pick from tomato gravy, spinach stew thickened with ground agushi (melon) seeds, shito (spicy pepper sauce), or jerk barbecue sauce. A summertime special of okra and eggplant stew will be available in August. There’s also an option to add a kale salad tossed in mango pineapple vinaigrette or pickled red cabbage.

Diners can crown their bowl with baked chicken seasoned with adobo, baked garlic herb salmon, or oxtail stewed for three and a half hours, its rich sauce pepped with cloves. Side dishes include peanut-minded groundnut soup, served with a starchy, dumpling-like ball of fufu forged from casava and plantain that can be used as an edible utensil; fried plantains; and chili-vibed red red stew made with black-eyed peas.

Mensah sees her food as an interpretation, rather than rote rendition, of the dishes she grew up eating. “This is not the definitive West African experience, but I wanted to give folks a flavor of what you might encounter having West African food,” she says.

Hedzole joins a growing legion of restaurants in the region serving food with West African roots, including Takoma Park’s Mansa Kunda, Chez Dior in Hyattsville, and Appioo African Bar & Grill, Moi Moi, Bukom Café, and Spicy Water African Grill in D.C.

Hedzole, 5505 Colorado Ave. NW. (202) 885-9831. hedzoleafroeats.com