Rockview’s Yinka The Chef as the “Doctor”: 26 Years of Rock- Solid Catering @ Rockview

Getting to know you
My name is Chef Yinka Dobolisi, the Executive Chef of Rockview Royale, Abuja. I am from West Yagba, the Yoruba speaking part of Kogi State but I grew up in Kaduna State and had my education there too. For my primary education, I attended St Anne’s Primary School, Kaduna and from there, I moved to Queen Amina College, Kakuri, Kaduna for my post primary education. After my secondary, I proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where I studied Home Economics. My father was a civil servant while my mother was a trader. I come from a family of five and I am the first born.

What attracted you to the profession?

As a small child, we have as a tradition in the family, professions or careers that women in the family naturally go for. Professions like Nursing, Home Economics, Teaching and stuffs like that. But in my own case, I have always had the passion for cooking. As the first child of my parents, my younger siblings never liked cooking, so I am the one that handles cooking for the family. Again, as a student, once we had practical’s in school, once I get home, I will use whatever amount of money I have and buy flour and try to
replicate all that we did at school at home.  As I reproduce whatever we were taught at school, my father will always take a bite of it and kept encouraging me. So, in a way, my father was my number one cheer leader. I was not in any way forced to take to cooking and later my, choice of study.

Any initial distraction before settling for Home Economics?
Actually, I first got admission into Federal Polytechnic Bida. I was billed to study Engineering. Along the line, I told my parents that no matter the certification I obtained in Engineering that I will still go back to my original passion, which is cooking. It was at that point that they conceded to my request and I had to abandon engineering course at the Polytechnic and headed to the ABU for studies in Home Economics.

How long have you been in the business of cooking?
I have been around for a while. At least, I have been with Rockview hotel as a pioneer staff since its inception and that is about 26 years now. Before joining Rockview, I worked with some Eateries in Lagos.

What has it been like in your chosen profession?
Well, I will say that it has been a nice and challenging experience. I am very happy that I have been given the opportunity to offer my services. It is all about creativity. As a chef, you are also a doctor of some sorts. What you eat helps to keep you alive. Wrong feeding can result into certain complications,
if not now, later. So, in all, I have had no cause to regret being a top class chef plying her trade in one of the best outfits in the hospitality industry in the nation’s capital.

How do you mean that a chef is also a doctor?
I am not a dietitian. But in a situation where a client who is on diet comes around to stay for a while, it will be our responsibility to help such a guest to keep to his health regime by ensuring that he eats right. We do not allow our guest to suffer as a result of bad diets simply because they are out of their homes. We ensure that they remain healthy by eating right. We have guests who are diabetic and when such guests come and tell us their peculiar challenges, we have to come up with the right recipe for their continued good health of mind and body. And attending to such guests in that manner makes them to feel at home even when they are far from home. 

What is your specialty, African, Continental or Pastry?
I hold my ground in all (African, Continental and intercontinental). I also do some pastries but that is usually on the sides. But now, I am more focused on kitchen administration. This is because, kitchen administration is key to the final output from the kitchen. If the administrative part is wrong, the final
output would be definitely wrong. It is in the administrative side that you sit and carry out all the calculations and my other colleagues now take it to interpret it for execution and the final result is the menu that our clients are served.

You earlier mentioned intercontinental dishes, which one is that?
Intercontinental dishes are more of an in-between dishes mainly associated with the Chinese and Indians. You usually hear of Chinese and Indian cuisines. It is just a mixture of some of these continental dishes adapted to the peculiar dishes of the Chinese and Indians.

You are Yoruba by birth, grew up in the north. How did you pick the skills
in preparing other Nigeria dishes?
I learnt the skills while in school. During practical sessions, we pick our menu from different ethnic backgrounds. I also learnt by reading about recipe from different books. Books like African caterings, theory of African caterings and the rest of them. So, when you read them, you put them into practice. And that was how I developed myself because, I never had the opportunity if moving from one place to another. My father was also very helpful. Each time he travels out, when coming back while he buys cloths for my siblings, he always buy catering books for me.

If not a Chef, what else you have loved to be?
If I am not a chef, the other profession that would have attracted me would have been nursing. However, I cannot stand the sight of blood. That lack of emotional strength helped not to succumb to nursing but rather shifted my eyes and focused on cookery.

Do you also take your cooking skills to the home front? 
I take my skills everywhere I go. It is something I have passion for. And nobody forced me to take to that profession. So, both at home and even among gathering of old school mate and other functions, as the opportunity arises, I rise and display my skills to the admiration of friends, relatives and well-wishers. I am not a heavy eater but I love to cook for people and love watching them enjoy the dishes I have prepared. 

As the chief chef, what kind of cooperation do you get from your co- staff
and the management?
Coming to the management level, what is needed is just for me to present my challenges to them, and so far, they’ve been trying in terms of equipment and other aspects. And as a pioneer, growing up with them, so far, they’ve not been found wanting. Even though cooking equipment are expensive. As for
my co- staff, you know people come from different places and we all come here to work together under one roof, and also different people with different tastes for food. Some will tell you it’s tasty and some others will say the opposite. (one man’s food is another man’s poison).

Have you had cases were your performances was called to question, maybe
by management or by your guests?
Like I told you, I do not do the cooking myself, I execute my skills and job through people. Complaints will come, but once you are able to respond rapidly, then everything will be resolved. Some will say, No; I do not take pepper and some others will say otherwise, you know normal complaints you get from anywhere and anyone. All you just need to do, is listen to the guest and resolve the case immediately.

Do you have special cases whereby the food is not mass produced, but on
special request?
Yes, we get such cases frequently especially when you have a guest that has stayed in the hotel for too long. For such guests, everything becomes monotonous to that person.  And more often than not, such guests start making special requests that are out of the menu.

If there’s a next life, will you like to be a chef or will you like to go for
another profession?

Yes, I would like to be a chef and will also like to improve on my present state. I will only try to get more ideas, better than the ones I have now.

Will you like for any of your children to become a chef if they decide to be
one?
Sure. I will support any of my children who wants to take after me. I will, so long as that is what he chooses to be, then all I need do is support him or her.

Like myself I was supported. Nobody forced me to do it.
So, what do you tell the young girls growing up?
My advice is you need to do something. Every woman needs to have something doing. And then, as a woman, it’s important you learn how to cook. Most children these days heavily patronize eateries thereby consuming a lot of junk foods. This is as a result of the fact that most of them do not know how to cook. Once you go into cooking, you realize it is about creativity and you will love it. So, my advice is that every woman should learn how to be a good cook.