A legacy born from loss
The Kurl Kitchen story began in 2020, forged in the heat of personal loss and global uncertainty. The sisters lost their father just before the first lockdown, a seismic moment that made them reflect on legacy, purpose and the ties that bind.
“We just felt like we had some sort of purpose to do something for him,” Fleur recalls. “He always wanted us to work together as sisters. Hair had always been a natural passion of ours – it’s almost like we’d been on a lifelong quest to find the perfect haircare range for our hair.”
Growing up in a dual-heritage household, the sisters faced the familiar confusion of mixed-texture hair – and parents who were equally baffled. “Our mum was like, ‘What is this hair? What do I do with it?’ and our dad was the same!” Keshia laughs. “We didn’t dislike our hair; we just didn’t know what to do with it.”
Their solution? A return to Ghana, a rediscovery of native ingredients and a partnership with a local formulator who was initially surprised by their choices. “She thought okra and yam were boring, but we said, ‘Over here, no one’s done this!’”
Food for hair – and the table
Kurl Kitchen draws on ingredients that are staples in west African cooking, but rare in British beauty aisles: okra, wild yam, baobab and plantain. “We called it Kurl Kitchen because we drew on ingredients that we grew up on in a Ghanaian kitchen,” Fleur explains. “It’s like food for your hair.”
The synergy runs deeper than branding. Their new YouTube series, Welcome to the Kitchen, invites chefs and mixologists to create dishes and drinks using the same ingredients found in Kurl Kitchen’s products. “We give them the list of ingredients in our products and they just create from that,” Fleur says. The result? West African-inspired gelato with avocado and plantain, cocktails infused with baobab and a celebration of Ghanaian culinary heritage.
The flavours of home
Food is still the sisters’ first love and greatest comfort, with dishes that feel both personal and fiercely guarded. For Keisha, it’s the family chicken pie: “puff pastry, cream, leeks… but there’s one special ingredient I can’t share.” She admits even her fiancé’s brother has been trying to get the recipe for years. For Fleur, it’s a fiery peanut soup, nkate nkwan, served with sticky rice, eaten by hand and shared around the table.
Their kitchen confessions are as relatable as they are revealing: childhood microwave cake mishaps, a family ritual of cream crackers with evaporated milk, and an outright refusal to serve anything ready-made.
“Good food is a feeling”
For the East sisters, good food is about more than taste – it’s about connection, care and culture. “Good food means love and family and tradition,” says Fleur. “It brings everyone together. You can have a discussion over a meal; it’s something that really unites you.”
Keshia agrees: “Good food is a feeling. When you cook for someone or bring people round, it’s a kind gesture. It’s a really nice way of caring for people.”
With Kurl Kitchen, the sisters have bottled not just the nourishing power of Ghanaian ingredients, but the warmth of their family table. Whether it’s a Kurl cream or a creamy chicken pie, their message is clear: food and love are best when shared.
Check out more:
Good Food podcast – chef Ayo Adeyemi of Akoko on the rise of west African cuisine
My Favourite Dish: Akwasi Brenya-Mensa
Great British recipes with a twist
Good Food podcast – Fred Sirieix and Tom Kerridge on global cuisine
