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A soul-food restaurant in Durham’s historic Hayti neighborhood is saying goodbye.
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Nzinga’s Kitchen at 826 Fayetteville St. has closed its doors after 12 years of operation. Owner and head chef Zuri Hester, known as Chef Zinga, confirmed the closure to The News & Observer this week, citing recent life changes and a new career path.
The restaurant served up Creole-inspired brunch and soul food. Fan favorites included the honey hot chicken sandwich, fried jumbo wings with old-fashioned or sugar cinnamon French toast sticks, and house-made slushies and strawberry lemonade.
“Making the decision to close Nzinga’s Kitchen is certainly bittersweet,” Hester said. “The last few years have brought a lot of change for me personally, including becoming a new mother and returning to school.”
A native of Durham, Hester, 37, graduated from Johnson & Wales University’s culinary arts program. Nzinga’s Kitchen opened as Nzinga’s Breakfast Café in 2014 when she was 25. Hester said she will remember her customers who came in “rain or shine to eat and have a conversation with me.”
“I would consider them family,” she said.
Hester is currently studying to become a registered nurse and said she plans to continue serving Durham, “just in a different capacity.”
She announced the restaurant’s closure on Instagram on Aug. 21 and was met with an outpouring of love from restaurant-goers.
For one final celebration, Hester is partnering with her brother, Akili Hester, to host a farewell event Sept. 26 at the Phoenix Event Center on Fayetteville Street.
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The event will reflect the restaurant’s core values, Hester said: “food, family, and community.”
The farewell will feature:
Additional information will be posted on social media with tickets available through Eventbrite, Hester said.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the years I’ve spent as part of the historic Hayti District and for every customer, employee, family member and community partner who has supported Nzinga’s Kitchen along the way,” Hester said.
Nzinga’s Kitchen is the latest eatery in Durham to recently close.
On Aug. 14, the Southern-comfort chain Flavor Hills announced it was closing all its brick-and-mortar stores. Also this month, It’s A Southern Thing closed its downtown location, citing rent and facility issues.
Last year, Littler closed its restaurant on East Parish Street and, in 2024, Beyu Caffe closed its downtown coffee shop and restaurant on West Main Street.
“Nzinga’s Kitchen may be closing its doors, but the love, relationships, and sense of community built here will stay with me,” Hester said. “I hope our farewell event gives us an opportunity to celebrate the memories we’ve made while helping the next generation create some incredible memories of their own.”
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