Ope Amosu
ChòpnBlọk | Houston, TX
September 2025
Born in London and raised in Houston, Ope Amosu always had business on the brain. In 2010, Amosu graduated from Truman State University, and, two years later, he enrolled at Rice University to earn his MBA, focusing on energy and entrepreneurship. After accepting a job at GE Power, Amosu took part in the company’s executive leadership program, moved to Philadelphia, and began traveling around the world. A few years later, he started to notice an abundance of fast-casual restaurants, and how there were very few highlighting West African food. This observation became an obsession, and Amosu was determined to create a West African concept of his own.
Amosu began working part-time at Chipotle to understand the concept’s operations while learning recipes from local West African home cooks. Once he started hosting 20-seat dinner parties out of his cousin’s apartment, word spread of ChòpnBlọk and new opportunities followed suit: cooking with Marcus Samuelsson and appearances on Top Chef and Padma Lakshmi’s Taste the Nation.
In 2021, Amosu officially left his corporate job and opened ChòpnBlọk in the POST Market food hall. Since then, ChòpnBlọk has partnered with the Houston Rockets to provide concessions for their arena and has opened its flagship brick-and-mortar location in the Montrose area. Along with thoughtful dishes showcasing a range of West African cuisines, community is central to ChòpnBlọk’s mission. Amosu hosts a regular guest chef series at the restaurant and a food festival that celebrates the flavors of the black diaspora. He has also started the Financial Empowerment & Literacy Academy at the restaurant, which gives local youths access to financial education and mentorship. Amosu hopes to open more concepts that highlight West African cuisine, all while keeping community at their core.
