This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

a Black woman-owned Afro-Caribbean (Jamaican + Nigerian) restaurant at 6228 Troost Ave founded by Jamaica-born chef Tanyech “Tan” Yarbrough, 2025 winner of KC G.I.F.T.’s $100,000 grant; Tier 1 as an owner-operated diaspora kitchen rooted in the Troost corridor.

Description

Wah Gwan is an Afro-Caribbean restaurant at 6228 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64110, near 63rd and Troost in the Troost corridor.123 It serves “Jamaican Cuisine With A Taste of Nigeria” — a blend of “smoky jerk, rich curries, and soulful jollof” drawing on both Jamaican and Nigerian cooking traditions.1 The restaurant offers dine-in and takeout, with posted hours of Mon–Thu 11am–7pm and Fri–Sat 11am–8pm (Sundays temporarily closed).1

The menu spans Jamaican and Nigerian staples: chicken prepared multiple ways (jerk, brown stew, curry, honey-garlic barbecue wings), oxtail, curry goat (with rice and peas or jollof), coconut curry shrimp, escovitch snapper, Jamaican beef patties, beef suya, egusi soup with fufu, rasta pasta, and honey-garlic barbecue tofu; most entrées pair with Nigerian jollof rice or Jamaican rice and peas.34 Wah Gwan has been recognized by Kansas City Magazine as “Best New Restaurant in KC.”1

Ownership and history

Wah Gwan was founded by Tanyech “Tan” Yarbrough, who serves as founder and CEO.25 Yarbrough was born in Jamaica and raised in Brooklyn; her husband is a native of Nigeria, and she added several of his family’s dishes to the menu to distinguish her restaurant from other Jamaican operations.34 She left her job as a district manager for Marshalls in late 2019, had her plans approved in February 2020, and began the build-out as COVID-19 reached Kansas City — Wah Gwan opened in 2020 “as a beacon of flavor, culture, and community.”46 Early on, the restaurant was largely a one-woman operation, with Yarbrough handling cooking, service, and front-of-house herself.3

In September 2025, Wah Gwan was named the recipient of KC G.I.F.T. (Generating Income For Tomorrow)‘s $100,000 grant, announced live at the nonprofit’s annual gala in front of 600+ attendees. Yarbrough said the funds will go toward expanding dine-in/takeout and adding an Afro-Caribbean market and juice bar.25 KC G.I.F.T.’s grant criteria required applicants to be at least 51% Black-owned, KC-based, in operation for at least one year, and earning at least $100,000 in annual revenue — Wah Gwan met all four.25

Sources

Disputes

(None active.)

Footnotes

  1. Wah Gwan official site. https://wahgwantan.com/ — asserts: address 6228 Troost Ave; “Jamaican Cuisine With A Taste of Nigeria”; jerk/curries/jollof; dine-in + takeout; hours; “Best New Restaurant in KC” (KC Magazine). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  2. KCTV5 — “Kansas City restaurant wins $100K grant to expand operations on Troost Avenue.” Published 2025-10-06. https://www.kctv5.com/2025/10/06/kansas-city-restaurant-wins-100k-grant-expand-operations-troost-avenue/ — asserts: Wah Gwan won $100K KC G.I.F.T. grant; 6228 Troost; founder/CEO Tanyech Yarbrough; plans for Afro-Caribbean market + juice bar; grant criteria. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. The Pitch — “Wah Gwan’s culinary cross-pollination will leave you speechless.” https://www.thepitchkc.com/wah-gwans-culinary-cross-pollination-will-leave-you-speechless/ — asserts: Yarbrough as chef-founder/one-woman operation; 63rd & Troost; menu (oxtail, jerk chicken, curry goat, escovitch fish, beef suya, egusi/fufu, beef patties, rasta pasta); jollof or rice-and-peas pairings. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. KCUR — “Along Troost Avenue, Kansas City’s new restaurant row emerges.” Published 2024-03-10. https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2024-03-10/troost-avenue-kansas-city-new-restaurant-row — asserts: Yarbrough born in Jamaica, raised in Brooklyn, mother of four; Nigerian husband; menu detail; opened after late-2019 departure from Marshalls, Feb-2020 approval, COVID build-out; “protected space” framing. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. Startland News — “KC GIFT orders a full meal with $100K Wah Gwan grant.” Published 2025-10. https://www.startlandnews.com/2025/10/wah-gwan-kc-gift/ — asserts: Yarbrough founder/CEO with Jamaican + Nigerian heritage; 6228 Troost; grant plans; mission statement; active operation. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Wah Gwan — About page. https://wahgwantan.com/kansas-city-wah-gwan-about — asserts: founded ~2020 “as a beacon of flavor, culture, and community.” ↩

See also

  • Registry
  • Owner-And-History-Research-Toolchain
Categories
  • Locally owned
  • Caribbean
  • Troost