THE OWNER of a café set to open in Oxford has said she will no longer go ahead with plans for personal reasons, and wanting to prioritise her family.

In a heartfelt statement, Lavinia Blundell-Richards who runs the popular Yemaya’s Kitchen in Wheatley, explained that the decision to pull out of opening a new branch in the Ark-T centre in East Oxford was ‘extremely difficult’ and ‘entirely personal’.

She wrote: “It is with great regret that I must confirm that Yemaya’s Kitchen has pulled out of our new site at the Ark-T centre.

"This is an entirely personal decision based upon personal circumstances.

"The Ark-T have been extremely gracious and I must stress that in no way are they responsible for this very difficult choice; their kindness, empathy and understanding at this time is testament to their ethos."

It was announced last month that the café, restaurant and community space would be parterning with the charity­-led Ark-T centre to renovate and relaunch a flexible eatery at the Oxford venue.

The flagship was set to remain open in Wheatley, where it opened for the first time in April, and like the original would specialise in soul food, a cuisine most associated with the southern US and with its roots in African American culture.

Like the base, the new café was due to be named after her four-year-old daughter, who is in turn named after the Afro-Brazilian goddess of the sea and protectress of women, children, families and community.

It was due to take over from Camerados, which occupied the space for more than two years.

Yemaya’s Kitchen will still run its premises in Wheatley but Ms Blundell- Richards also revealed that she is in talks with Oxford Brookes University about a new partnership there. 

More details are expected in due course.