HEIR OF HOPE: Evelyn’s Daughter Took Over The School After Her Chosen Successor Died

For Mrs. Evelyn Addo-Boye, the future of the College of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management (CoCAHM) once seemed clear.

One of her sons, Chris, was the person she had envisioned taking over the institution she founded in 1971. Having the flair for Home Economics and having shown promise, Chris appeared to be the natural heir to his mother’s culinary legacy.

"He was doing very well. So, I thought he would have been the person to take it,” Mrs. Addo-Boye revealed in an interview with Kafui Dey.

But life had other plans. Before the transition could take place, Chris died, leaving the future leadership of the institution uncertain.

Eventually, the responsibility fell on her youngest daughter, Thelma. A development Mrs. Addo-Boye admitted came as a surprise.

“Looking at her upbringing and the where she was coming from, I was a bit surprised, but she’s falling in it,” the founder said.

Thelma, however, did not simply inherit the position. She went on to pursue additional training to strengthen her knowledge and prepare herself for the responsibility of leading the institution.

According to her mother, she has since grown into the role and is doing well.

In an almost symbolic twist, Thelma’s journey also mirrors that of her mother.

Like Mrs. Addo-Boye, who hosted a cooking programme on GTV decades ago, Thelma also became a regular cooking guest on the GTV Breakfast Show.

“It’s like history repeating itself,” Kafui Dey observed during the interview.

What began in 1971 with Mrs. Addo-Boye’s vision has therefore become a family legacy. One shaped by unexpected loss, succession and a daughter stepping forward to carry the work into the next generation. Today, CoCAHM remains under family leadership, with Thelma continuing the legacy her mother began more than five decades ago.