Irie Zulu, an African-Jamaican restaurant in Wauwatosa, has closed.
The eatery, which is located at 7237 W. North Ave., had been closed for the past several weeks to undergo maintenance work, but earlier this week the restaurant permanently shuttered.
Owner Yollande Deacon, who opened the restaurant in 2015, confirmed the closure and said she sold the business.
She explained her decision in a post on Facebook, saying “freedom is being able to build something great and feeling OK to walk away from it at the right time and try something new.”
Deacon said she plans to shift gears to focus on consulting and design, including media content development for African and Jamaican food, ethnic food distribution, strategic consulting for food-based startups and events.
She also plans to spend more time with her eight- and three-year-old children, according to the post.
Irie Zulu served traditional African and Jamaican dishes made with locally-sourced ingredients. The concept was inspired by the culture and cuisine of Deacon’s birthplace, Cameroon, and her husband’s Jamaican heritage, according to its website.
Deacon first came to Milwaukee to attend graduate school at Marquette University.
She also sold a line of African sausages, sauces and spices, called Afro Fusion Cuisine.
