About Adenah

Managing Member

Adenah Bayoh’s journey is not just a success story — it is a love letter to resilience, legacy, and the limitless possibilities that bloom when one woman dares to dream beyond survival. She was just 13 when she fled Liberia’s brutal civil war, leaving behind the only home she knew. With heartbreak in her past but hope in her future, Adenah arrived in the U.S. carrying no luggage, no money — only the unshakable belief that her life could be more. That belief was planted by her grandmother, a woman who ran a small restaurant in Liberia, feeding her neighbors with love and intention. That memory became Adenah’s compass. Today, that seed has grown into an empire rooted in purpose. Adenah is the proud owner of nine restaurants across New Jersey and New York, including three IHOP franchises . At just 27, she became one of the youngest IHOP franchisees in the country — shattering ceilings in spaces not built for her and creating seats at the table for others along the way. In 2017, she co-founded Cornbread , a fast-casual, farm-to-table soul food concept created to honor the traditions that shaped her. In 2021, she launched Brick City Vegan , a plant-based concept built for communities that are often excluded from the health and wellness conversation. Collectively they are a celebration of Black culture, family, and food that heals, proving that access and nourishment can — and must — go hand in hand. In 2023, she made history as the first Black woman in New Jersey to secure a 9% NJHMFA affordable housing credit — bringing deeply affordable housing to Newark’s South Ward, a community that raised her and one she continues to pour into. As a real estate developer, she is transforming abandoned spaces into vibrant community hubs. Her redevelopment of the former Irvington General Hospital is a bold step toward healing both buildings and neighborhoods, proving Adenah’s mission extends beyond the plate. But Adenah’s greatest legacy is not in buildings or businesses — it’s in people. What drives her isn’t profit. It’s purpose. It’s the young girls who look like her and wonder if they can dream big. It’s the single mothers, the immigrants, the underdogs — those told they were too poor, too Black, too different, too “other” to make it. To them, Adenah says: “Look at me. You can.” Every meal served, every apartment built, every job created is an act of devotion. A commitment to building a future where everyone — no matter where they come from — has the chance to rise. Adenah Bayoh didn’t just chase the American dream. She redefined it. And now, she’s creating it for others — one life, one business, one community at a time.