Africa-Press – Ghana. Ten years ago, Romeo Diahn was draped in a printed sweatshirt with a white V-neck T-shirt underneath performing “Is This Love?” by Bob Marley on the set of the hit singing competition “American Idol” in Portland, Oregon.
The then-22-year-old shared his life story of leaving Liberia alongside family as a refugee in front of the show’s panel, which included longtime “Idol” judge Randy Jackson, Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler, and A-list actress and singer Jennifer Lopez.
After he received a golden paper ticket to the Hollywood Week rounds during the show’s 11th season, Diahn walked toward the camera and said, “America, I’m coming, I’m coming.”
Then, Lopez turned to Jackson and quipped that Diahn had a “different vibe than anyone else we’ve seen” as the Rose City’s Steel Bridge served as backdrop.
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Diahn, or “Chef Tony” in a culinary uniform, decided to choose a life with culinary arts as his main dish and pushed singing to the sides menu in the years after “Idol.”
Now Diahn’s coming to the Drake neighborhood with a new Thursdays-only restaurant called Chef Tony’s Culinary Delights, housed in the kitchen rental building Kitchen Spaces at 1139 24th St., with barbecue and fare inspired by his childhood in Liberia.The passion project is the latest page in a life story of let downs, comebacks, and endless pursuits of an American dream.
“The refugee camp was horrible, but we are refugees from Liberia,” Diahn said in a Sept. 1 interview at the university-area spot. “So, we were able to be resettled to America through way of Ghana.”
Diahn’s family left Liberia aftThe former “Idol” contestant shared his family’s story of wartime survival on Season 11 of the reality singing competition, which featured eventual winner Phillip Phillips. Diahn reached the show’s top 100 contestants before being eliminated by the trio of judges.
The experience of appearing on national television was poor, he said, because it felt like he had failed after being eliminated by Lopez, Jackson, and Tyler.er the country’s civil war in 1990. Later, the family fled to nearby Ghana and lived in a refugee camp.
After Diahn’s family moved to Portland, Oregon, where he first auditioned for “Idol,” in 2001, the 33-year-old, who is a single father of four children, moved to the Des Moines metro area three years ago for a fresh start.
“My inspiration with cooking comes from my mom,” Diahn said.
The graduate of culinary school Le Cordon Bleu said Chef Tony’s, a second act, is inspired by his mother Alberta Ehrich, who worked long nights while he was growing up.
Diahn taught himself recipes and home-cooking techniques because Ehrich regularly worked past midnight and he prepared his own meals instead of waiting for her to come home. Diahn developed the idea to serve barbecue because he wanted a family-style restaurant for comfort food with a diverse selection of options.
“I’m a cook, I’m not a rib person — people are like, ‘You’re not from North Carolina or wherever they do ribs?’ No,” Diahn said. “I’m a cook — I taste it and I want to recreate it.”The menu’s culinary delights include cassava leaf stew and steamed rice, spicy “super-hot and flavorful” habanero garlic sauce, baked barbecue pork ribs, and dark meat barbecue chicken.
Diahn’s signature recipes also feature a mixed greens salad with diced cucumbers and tomatoes topped with sweet brown sugar lemon vinaigrette, baked barbecue chicken and barbecue pulled pork sliders on Hawaiian-style rolls, and toasted barbecue pulled chicken and pulled rib sandwiches.
Southern-inspired sides include coleslaw, corn bread, mac and cheese, pasta and broccoli salads, seasoned beans and rice, and garlic Parmesan mashed potatoes with gravy. Beverages include canned sodas like Sprite, mango-flavored Pepsi, and Coca-Cola alongside botted water.
“I’ve done all my crying, I’m not crying no more,” Diahn said. The tears of a storied life are gone. Chef Tony’s is the next chapter.
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