After
years of home-grown cooking for family and friends, Tokunbo Koiki decided to turn her
passion of cooking into a business venture. She launched Tee’s Food Corner in 2015, a pop up Nigerian
food stall and Tokunbo’s Kitchen in 2016 which provides private chef and supper club opportunities
to enjoy authentic Nigerian food within an informal and social experience. When
Tokunbo is not cooking up a storm in the kitchen, she can be found on a dance
floor dancing without a care in the world! Read her inspirational interview below.
Please tell us what is a typical business day for
you?
A typical market
day would consist of prepping many of the food a few days before hand. I have
learnt this works much easier for me than waking up to start prepping at 5am! I
always aim to get to the market at least an hour before it is due to open to
the public. Soon as I get to the market I start to prepare the first main meals
to be served for the breakfast and lunch crowd which is usually jollof rice,
fried fish, grilled chicken, akara (beans fritter), fried yam and fried
plantain. I usually have one other person to help me on the stall and we divide
up the work with each person tasked to operate the same work for the day.
What made you start the business and how did you
get started?
I started Tokunbo's Kitchen due to the
sheer frustration of not having access to Nigerian restaurants that were able
to provide the level of service and the ambience that goes along with a modern
dining experience. I also wanted to share my love of Nigerian food to people
from different cultures and enable wider recognition of this cuisine in London
and beyond within an intimate and social setting.
I started by operating a pop up street food
stall, Tee's Food Corner at Africa Utopia last September after waiting for two
hours just go buy jerk chicken at a summer festival. This was the final prompt
I needed to put into action an idea that been simmering in my mind for a few
years. The event was a success especially in enabling people from all different
cultures the opportunity to try a new cuisine they would not have previously
considered or encountered.
What would you say has been your greatest
accomplishment in the business world to date?
The first was having a
six year old boy convince his mother to buy him a meal from my Tee’s Food
Corner stall during a visit to London from Austria. To see the look of pure
delight and joy at tasting and discovering a new cuisine that is far removed
from his normal style of eating is a memory I will always treasure. The other
greatest accomplishment for me was obtaining a start-up loan to expand my
business idea from the pop up stall to supper clubs and private dining
experience. This was a great moment for me as it provided validation that my
idea was not crazy! It also gave me more confidence in knowing that the
potentials I imagined for the business are not only realistic but that they are
very possible.
What has been your biggest challenge in
business so far?
Dealing with the well
meaning but often times unnecessary worries and questioning from family and
friends about my decision to leave social work to set up this business from
scratch. Whilst I knew it was well meaning, it initially lead to moments of
self doubts but I have found trusting my instinct and not talking much about
what I am doing until it's done has enabled them to gain a better understanding
of my vision and objectives.
What are your future plans for the
business?
To continue running
Tee's Food Corner at various markets and festival across London and England
whilst also having regular Tokunbo's Kitchen supper club events. I would
eventually like to have a small space / car where people can come and eat
Nigerian regularly without the regular poor customer service often associated
with African restaurants.
If you had to do it all over
again, what would you do differently?
I would learn to trust
and follow my instincts much earlier. Asides from that I believe that things
have progressed even better than any expectations I may have had. Every few
weeks, I take the time to reflect on where I am and the progress I have made. I
also look at lessons I need to take away from when things have not gone exactly
according to plan or when I have been confronted with a situation I had not
planned or prepared for.
Why is it so important to inspire young
women in particular to follow their dreams?
From an early age, young
girls and women are often told not to dream too high or aspire for anything beyond
their current realities. I believe that all young people, but most especially
girls and women, should dream for the impossible. They need to develop the
courage to follow their dreams no matter how crazy or far removed it might be
from what they know or hold to be true. I also wish young girls and women would
not feel restrained to just aspiring to be one thing but seek instead to find
their purpose and use whichever medium of work or career path that comes their
way as the vehicle that drives that purpose.
What advice would you give to somebody
who wants to start a business in your industry?
Love the art of cooking
or at least at the very minimum enjoy cooking for others. Be flexible and
listen to feedback. Just because you love your cooking or a particular dish
does not mean others will. Learn the requirements and regulations of the food
industry and always ensure that you adhere to them at all times. Most
importantly take time to enjoy the process and the value you bring to others
through your skills and talents.
What or who inspires you in business
and why?
My mum was the first
business woman I saw and whilst I did not always like the business model she
utilised, she inspired me to believe that anything was possible and thought me
the skills of buying and selling from an early age including the art of
negotiating with wholesalers in New York City fashion district by myself at the
age of 14!
What is your favourite inspirational quote?
“No matter how
fast or slow you go, you can only go as far as where you are going” as said to
me by a friend Akin Akintayo
Twitter:
@tokunboskitchen
Instagram:
@tokunboskitchen
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tokunboskitchen
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