BN:Please do tell us a little about your self.
Am Funke Koleosho and my first degree is in Food Science & Technology, which I obtained from a Nigerian University but I moved to the UK to join my husband where I have worked in a variety of sectors but my passion remains in food processing and preparation. I find the cultural interpretation and endless possibilities we can achieve with food rather fascinating and the world indeed becoming a global village, I consider myself to be on a mission to help foodies discover the wonderful and exciting foods and recipes from the regions of West Africa.
BN: When and how did you become a great chef
I am the first of four girls in my family and I started cooking at a very young age. In fact, as soon as I was tall enough to reach the top of the stove, my mother made me cook! She made cooking a fun thing to do rather than a chore. Ever
since, my interest in cooking grew steadily and I have continued to take pleasure in not only feeding, but thrilling people with food. I am not a trained chef and would rather refer to myself as a self taught cook. I put my success down to constant practice and experimentation and also to my family and friends who constantly feedback and inspire me.
since, my interest in cooking grew steadily and I have continued to take pleasure in not only feeding, but thrilling people with food. I am not a trained chef and would rather refer to myself as a self taught cook. I put my success down to constant practice and experimentation and also to my family and friends who constantly feedback and inspire me.
BN: You are one of the leading chef in the UK, a profession which is populated of more white than blacks, how did you make it, how hard or easy has it been for you to get accepted as one of the leading UK chefs?
It has been a little difficult for ethnic minority chefs to make an impact here in the UK because the western palate is conditioned and used to a certain style of cooking, which features a lot of sweet/sugary ingredients. West African cuisine for instance feature ingredients which impact strong tastes and flavours to food, most of which actually need getting used to. Regretfully our cuisine has not yet been universally accepted like Chinese or Indian cuisine but I believe that the creative modification and presentation of our dishes can help increase their acceptability.
It has been really challenging getting the deserved recognition, particularly because there is so much negative information relating to health, circulated about West African food but my passion has really helped to focus me and made me determined to make a difference in this area.
BN: You have been to This Morning ITV, and other stations please do tell us about it?
The producer of GMTV on ITV was looking for exciting recipes to feature on their Christmas Dinnerprogramme and I was delightfully pleased when they contacted me after seeing my recipe for Jollof rice and Suya turkey. It was a really exciting time for me especially being the first West African recipe to be featured on British TV. The filming was done at one of their studios in London and aired during the Christmas of 2009. I have also participated at other cooking events both here in the UK and back home in Nigeria.
BN: How profitable is it in UK to be a known chef.
First and foremost, I derive a lot of pleasure from satisfying people with my style of cooking and food presentation. It is such joy when you receive positive and encouraging feedback about your cooking. There are lots of opportunities in this profession, particularly from endorsements and partnership work. For me, I believe that the ultimate success comes from owning your own restaurant(s) where you can continuously please your clients with creative and exciting dishes.
BN: You do great Nigerian Cuisine; do you also do intercontinental or just Africa Cuisine?
I am particularly passionate about West African (Nigerian to be specific) cuisine. My style of cooking is typically Nigerian but I also create fusion recipes based on my exploration of other styles of cooking.
I love travelling and each time I do, I try local delicacies. I explore and experiment with food a lot and I am constantly looking for a balance in ingredients and taste which will appeal to a wider audience.
BNs: What is you best and favourite meal.
I love cooking and I equally enjoy eating good, well thought of and well prepared food, I believe our taste palates were designed to enable us derive the maximum pleasure from food. I love travelling to explore and experiment with different types of ingredients. And what I have discovered is that the possibilities are limitless; my favourite changes every time. But what I find uncanny is, regardless of the other types of foods I eat and enjoy, I still have a craving for Nigerian food now and so often, which perhaps proves it is my favourite cuisine.
BN: You are also the creator of Funke Koleosho Cook! Nigerian and a Nigerian cookbook, tell us about your book.
Cook! Nigerian is a mobile phone App designed and developed for foodies across the world seeking exciting alternative culinary experience, big on spices and flavours! We say the world is a global village yet we are not all aware or understand the culinary culture of people in all areas of our global neighbourhood!
West Africa cuisine despite it being one of the very few remaining authentic and unadulterated cuisines in the African continent, it remains largely undiscovered. Cuisines from North, East, Central and South Africa all have heavy foreign (Middle Eastern, Indian (Asian) or European) influences. Also West African style of cooking has had visible impact on and influenced culinary in other parts of the world; cuisines from the West Indian islands and North and South America show similarities to West African cooking particularly those referred to today as Creole, Soul and Cajun. One wonders why its popularity has not grown over the years. It is my hope that the App is able to provide some background information on what the different food from West African and how to prepare them.
I also authored a cookbook (Contemporary Nigerian Cuisine cookbook – which won a Gourmand Cookbook award)
With both the cookbook and the app, I am drawing peoples’ attention to foods from West African origin, preparing and presenting them in familiar ways. The calorie counter feature and other nutritional data that you will find in the App are to inform and clarify myths and misconceptions about food from West African origins.
For more please visit my website:
contact: info@contemporarynigeriancuisine.com
Interview by Betty Nwabunike
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