Mastering the Art of Cooking with Oluwatosin Agbalaya

Oluwatosin Agbalaya is a Professional Chef with a Diploma in Cuisine and Patisserie. She has a wealth of experience working as a Chef, Chef Instructor as well as a Restaurant Manager/Coordinator.

Below is a summary of the interview Mastering the Art of Cooking with Oluwatosin Agbalaya

Oluwatosin is a Chef who has a professional diploma in cuisines and pastries. She says as a child she wanted to be a doctor but watching her mother inspired her love for catering. Out of fear she didn’t let her dad know and God willing, she found herself in commercial class and when she entered the university, she began baking and selling pastries. She used to help her mother cook and serve food as a child. She began to use her mom's cooking book to practice recipes as she grew and it really fascinated her.

She says her love for cooking is what motivates her to get up every morning as there are a lot of people that rely on her to deliver food to them every day and she cannot disappoint them. The drive to create something new and fresh is a major motivation for her. She says in order to give the customers exactly what they want, communication is key. She takes the orders personally and asks for allergies, preferences and many other things.

Oluwatosin says in order to maintain the taste and authentic flavor her dishes have she creates a special recipe for each of them and always measures out her ingredients. She includes that cooking is fun for her because she finds fulfillment in the kitchen.

She emphasizing the importance of plating to the general appeal of a dish because we eat with our eyes first before our mouths. She describes cooking as an art that begins with the technique you use, the idea of the dish and finally plating.

She tells us that she tries her best to incorporate Nigerian foods that are slowly dying out into her menus to make people well aware of the rich cuisine we have in the country. She also tells us how all the ingredients she uses to prepare meals are supplied fresh to her doorstep. She uses this to create an experience for the clients as per their requests.. punctuality is also a key component of the success of her business.

Concluding, she says she believes that you can be anything you choose to be once you’re dedicated. Focus on perfecting the skill first then money would come along.