I inherited Chef’s DNA from my mother

Hungryman’s Adeoye Mofeoluwa Emmanuel aka ‘Slay Chef’

Me, My Job & I

Tell us about yourself

My name is Adeoye Mofeoluwa Emmanuel. I am from Ekiti State. In my place of work and among my numerous clients, I am popularly known as ‘Slay Chef’.

How did you come about the name, Slay Chef?

Well, the name came when I was a chef in one of the major Restaurants here in Abuja. It was one of our big regular clients, a former governor of one of the states in the Northern part of the country that gave me the name. He will always see me coming out with clean clothes and looking very crisp all the time and expressed surprise that with all the cooking I do in the kitchen, my clothes are always impeccable. So, he said that “this is a chef that slay with his job so I will be calling you slay chef” And so that was how I came about the name and I love it. Since then, Slay Chef has come to be my brand.

Which Schools did you attend?

For my primary education, I attended St Patrick’s Nursery and Primary School Ibadan and Methodist Primary school in Ekiti.  For my secondary education, I attended Feyi Folu Odudun Comprehensive High School also in Ekiti State. From there, I proceeded to Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State, where I read Catering and Hotel Management. I later went to Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, where I had my Bachelors’ degree in Home Economics. I later travelled to Witt University in Johannesburg, South Africa for my master’s degree in Food Science Technology.

What was it like when you were growing up? Did your early childhood experiences shape your choice of career?

Well, I can say that I started the chef business at a very early age because my mother was a chef in her own right.  She has run a restaurant and knows how to cook very well. I remember that when I was very small, whenever my mother woke up to start her day’s activities in the kitchen, I would also wake up and follow her to the kitchen. I was always first to taste the meals she was preparing. And my mother discovered that I have a very good sense of judgment in identifying well prepared meals and whenever I say that the food is okay, she usually accepts my verdict. And there was never any occasion a customer complained over a meal that I had certified as good as young as I was then.  So that was how I started.

In other words, becoming a chef was not an accident.

No. My becoming a chef was no accident. I can say that it was inborn and that I actually got the gift from my mother. However, it was a serious fight between my parents and I. Growing up, whenever I was given money by my parents or relatives for my upkeep in school, I would save the funds. When I saw books that had to do with different recipes, I would buy the books and whenever I was home, I will buy the recipes and prepare such foods like meat pie and the likes.  There is what the Yoruba’s call Adelodo (when your parents cook, you also go and carry your own pot to cook). But they always punished me for going to that extent. And the reason was simply because, my parents actually wanted me to be a lawyer. It was a serious fight but at the end of the day, they had to give in and allowed me to chase my dream.

Beyond your formal education (even though it is in line with your profession), did you attend specialized courses to further hone your cooking skills?

Apart from my formal training, I have done some online courses and have travelled to at least three countries to further improve on my cooking prowess. The three countries are Italy, Spain and Russia. I had the opportunity of winning some scholarship that enabled me to travel to these countries to further perfect my cooking skills. That was how I perfected my skills in preparing continental dishes.

Let’s go back a bit, what was the reaction of your parents when it became clear to them that you have chosen the path different from what they envisaged for you?

Even before my father died, I realized that he was diabetic and because I studied a course that has to do with food, I understood the chemical content of everything I cook and the nutritional value of the food we eat. Based on this knowledge, it was very easy for me to combine alkaline that is treatable in any acidic food and give you a very nutritional value for the food. So, I was able to treat my father with food. The result was amazing even to the medical team handling his case. The doctors were wondering if he was flown abroad for treatment or whether his entire blood was flushed out and new blood infused.  And I came to realize what type of food you can give a diabetic patient and he will be fine. And that made my parents to relax because they felt that I really knew where I was going.

What is your specialty, continental or African cuisines?

I am a versatile person. I am versatile in all the cuisines both the continental and African dishes especially Nigerian dishes. I am game in all of them. I come from the South-West and we have our own way of cooking. After I came back from overseas after all those training programmes, I realized that I needed to master all Nigerian dishes. This led me to travel to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and made friends who helped me to identify one of their best cooks in the area in order for me to understudy her and learn how to prepare dishes unique to that area. That was how I was directed to Auntie Mfon. I explained my mission to her that I want to know learn how to prepare the food, soup and other delicacies of her environment. She began to mention their delicacies like Editan, Afiefere, Afang, Edikiakong and Ikpankoko as well as Atama. She took me to the farms and I saw the leaves (incidentally, we have those leaves in my father’s farm back in Ekiti). She trained me and when I prepared the meals, the woman could not believe at the speed at which I absorbed what she taught and wondered if I did not have prior knowledge and experience before coming to her. All that did was to bring my education and training to bear in the preparation of the meals. For instance, the vegetable I prepare is different from what you see elsewhere. When I prepare vegetable, it will look green as if it has not been cooked because it will still retain its chlorophyll. This is as a result of how I have been trained in organic chemistry and food microbiology. From Uyo, I went to Anambra, Ihiala to be precise, to learn about their delicacy. From there, I went to Owerri, then to Orlu, Obowu. From there to Mbaitolu, Mbano and Mbaise. I went to the extent of learning how to process Ukwa, from beginning to the end. And how to use Ngu instead of (Akanwu) Potash. I also learnt how to process the Ngu itself from palm fruit stubs, burning them, gathering the ashes, soaking them and distilling the water before using it to prepare the Ukwa.  I was also in Rivers State to learn who to prepare Fisherman Soup. In all these, I bring my education and other training to bear which makes it difficult for anybody including natives to beat me in the preparation of the local delicacies.

What is your major challenge as a chef plying his trade in Nigeria?

Well, the major challenge is that chefs are not valued in Nigeria. The job of a chef is not valued. People just want to use you and dump you. It is only few people that value the importance of chefs in Nigeria. It is unfortunate that one does not get a commensurate return on the time and energy a chef puts in the discharge of his duty in the country. One is always paid back in bad coins.

In the course of your job as a top class chef, have you had any embarrassing moments like your clients ogling or making passes at you

Sure, it does happen almost on regular basis. 

How do you resist such ugly moments?

I thank God for my upbringing.  Without sounding immodest, I come from a very disciplined home. I bless the name of the Lord for the type of parents that brought me forth into this world. My parents brought us up both morally and spiritually and it has enabled me to navigate through such bumpy situations. To engage in such act is taboo in the sight of God and anyone engaging in such act will not see the mercy of God. So, I have understood all those things from the beginning. I have been enticed with money, I mean good money that can change one’s life but I thank God I was able to turn my back on it and let go. There is nothing that can stand between me and my peace with God because my peace is very costly.

Are you married?

Not yet but plans are afoot in that direction. I will soon marry.

So, do you take your cooking skills to the home front?

Yes. Not just in my home but everywhere I go. Most of the time, I will invite my friends, prepare things and we eat and have fun. Before I came to Hungry Man, I was working from home, my clients will call me and place orders, I prepare and deliver to them. For me, there is no dull moment.

What is your typical day like?

My day is always loaded from waking up to going to bed. I am always busy. I am practically married to my job. In fact, that is one of the challenges I have in my relationship with the opposite gender. Most of the ladies could not cope with the time I dedicate to my job. I have passion for the job and I need a woman that understands it in order to flow with me. For sometimes now, I have been holed up in the Restaurant and have not had the time to go to my personal house. The job does not give me a time of my own, you may wake up and want to rest and a client would come and place an order and insist that you will be the one top prepare it for him. And at times, I will be the one to stay back in the Restaurant. I am driven by the passion for what I do. I do not want any of my clients to leave the Restaurant without being satisfied from the services rendered to him.

How do you serve your clients?

Most of our meals here at the Hungry Man is served Ala carte and that is “order to prepare”. That is essentially what we do here at the Hungry Man. We also have what we call the Chef’s Special. At times some clients would come and say that they want to see the chef. In that case, the clients want to order out of the Menu.

If you had not been a Chef, what other profession would have attracted your interest?

I would have been a lawyer. Growing up, everybody around me noticed that I am always speaking up and advocating for people. I hate cheating and I cannot stand where peoples right is been trampled upon. From my school days to even my workplaces, I have always stood for people’s rights. So, I would have been a lawyer and my type of law practice would have been in the mold of late Gani Fawehinmi. I would have been tough as I am very blunt. It not because I am holy. No, far from it, I just do not stand people being treated anyhow. However, the type of law practice I would have engaged would have put me at cross purposes with the state. Beyond that, I am also a multi skilled person. Aside from what I do, I also farm. I have a fish farm in Abuja and cultivate some crops too.

What importance does Hungry Man attach to the kitchen?

For us here, every department or unit counts so does every staff count in the overall growth and service delivery of the organization. From the Driver to the purchasers to the security, are all important. We do not make our purchases from the normal markets. The drivers take the purchasers directly to the farms where the items we need are gotten fresh and cheaper. The security is also there to perform a very critical role as they remain the first face of the organization. The way the security receives our clients and other individuals that visit will give the confidence in such a way to make them relax and enjoy their meals, knowing fully well that they are safe and secure anytime they are here. And when the clients come into the restaurant proper, the way the waiters attend to them is also very critical. Talking about the kitchen itself is highly important. From the kitchen staff from top to bottom is a function of collective and cooperative task. Things must be carried out in a manner that leads to the delivery of overall corporate goal of being the restaurant of first choice in Abuja. The role of the management cannot be over emphasized as they are the ones that initiate and drive the corporate policies and programmes of the organization.

How do you handle clients with special dietary needs?

Yes, we do have such clients with special dietary needs. We state it as a client enters the restaurant, to make his allergies known to us. Even as we speak now, I have a client who does not consume any form of seasoning; he does not take salt just a pinch of seafood salt. So, I have to develop a special recipe for him. Some will come and inform me that they do not eat oil or salt. So, once we have the information about their peculiar dietary needs, we develop a recipe to suit their peculiar needs and they are happy about it and always come back. As you will expect, we have plenty clients with peculiar needs, and I can assure you that Hungry Man is up to the task of managing their dietary peculiarities.

How do you relax when you are not slaying in your kitchen?

Actually, can I be sincere to you? I have a client, who over the years has become a friend and a father figure to me. He actually brought it to my attention the day he said to me, “Blessed are you chef, for your work is your hobby for you have nothing to do”. So, I am a kind of person who has my job as my hobby and my hobby is my job. And indeed, I have nothing to do. So, I work from morning till night. You may not believe it; I do not take off days. I see a lot of challenges which require my personal presence to handle some clients would want me to handle their orders.  This is because most of them are aware of how painstaking I can be in ensuring that it is what they ordered for that is delivered to them. That is why most of the “big men” from different walks of life in the society would like me to handle their orders. So, it is only at night when I have done with the days duties that I rest. And even when I feel weak, once I step into the kitchen and start my duties, I see my energy flowing back to me, I simply feel energized.

End.