Adenah Bayoh: Honoree at the NJBIZ Best 50 Women in Business event tonight has amazing story of success

“After purchasing several residential and commercial properties in her early 20s, Bayoh turned to Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith for advice on how to diversify and become a restaurateur, a job she’s wanted since helping out at her grandmother’s restaurant in Liberia.

Smith suggested she purchase the landmark Kless Diner in 2007, giving her a key piece of advice in the process.

“I said, ‘Boy, I’d turn this place into an IHOP,'” he said. “I didn’t think she’d take my advice so literally.”

Adenah Bayoh: Honoree at the NJBIZ Best 50 Women in Business event tonight has amazing story of success | NJBIZ

Adenah Bayoh’s ticking clock begins at 4:30 a.m. with a blaring alarm. Before she’s started eating her banana and toast, she’s calling her 24-hour restaurant to check in. Then she’s hopping in her car to attend early morning spin, boot camp and yoga classes, before coming home to a 4-month-old girl and a 3-year-old boy who need help getting ready for preschool.