Oluwabusayo boluwatife Israel
Professional Chef · Alimosho
4–7 years cooking experiencePersonal information
- Full name
- Oluwabusayo boluwatife Israel
- Location
- Alimosho
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 23
- Phone
- 08131173197
- busayoisrael1@gmail.com
- Residential address
- Olorunshola Road,nnpc bus stop, ayobo
- Social handles
- Instagram: _chefbubu
Applicant profile
- Applicant type
- Professional Chef
- Applicant type other
- —
- Current occupation
- Chef
- Cooking experience
- 4–7 years
Competition experience
- Prior competitions
- Yes
- Competition details
- The cooking competitions I’ve participated in was the Ajoyo Cooking Competition, which was a Jollof cooking competition. I was fortunate to come second place, and it was an experience that taught me much more than just cooking under pressure.
Before the competition, I had moments where I questioned myself and my abilities. But stepping into that environment challenged me to put myself out there, trust my craft, and believe in what I was capable of creating.
Coming second gave me confidence, but more importantly, the experience taught me that I belong in spaces where my skills are being challenged and judged. It pushed me to work on my confidence, trust my culinary instincts, and become more comfortable putting my creativity on display.
That experience has stayed with me because it reminded me that sometimes the biggest outcome of a competition isn’t just the position you finish in, but the confidence and growth you take with you afterwards.
Competition readiness
- Available throughout competition
- Yes
Entrepreneurship and impact
- Runs a food business
- Yes
- Business name
- EatwithchefB
- Business type
- Cooperate meals, office/daily lunch packs, food boxes, event catering
- Years in operation
- 4years
- Business challenge
- One challenge I believe Eko Flavors can help me overcome is confidence in my own culinary voice.
I have always been curious and experimental with food, but sometimes stepping outside my comfort zone and putting my creativity on a bigger platform can be intimidating. My previous competition experience taught me to trust my craft, and I believe Eko Flavours is another opportunity to push myself further.
I want to challenge myself under pressure, learn from other talented chefs, and gain the confidence to fully express my culinary identity. Most importantly, I want to leave the competition knowing that I can trust my ideas, my creativity, and my ability to turn them into something meaningful on a plate.
Culinary journey
My culinary journey started with curiosity.
From a young age, I was fascinated by the way food could bring so much happiness and joy wherever it went. I watched my mother prepare delicious meals and saw how something as simple as food could put a smile on our faces. I became curious about how she created those flavours and, whenever I was given something I enjoyed eating, I would often find my way back into the kitchen to recreate it. Not because the food wasn’t good enough, but because I wanted to understand it and bring my own creativity into it.
As I grew older, I realised that my relationship with food was much deeper than simply enjoying cooking. I wanted to understand what was happening beneath the surface. This led me to study Food Science and Technology, where I began to understand food from a scientific perspective, its composition, properties, reactions, and the factors that influence the way we experience it.
But after completing my studies, I knew my journey was far from over. I wanted to take everything I had learned, my passion and translate that knowledge into the kitchen. So I pursued professional culinary training, which exposed me to new techniques, cuisines, creativity, and the endless possibilities that exist within food.
Today, I see myself as someone who brings together curiosity, science, and culinary creativity. My journey has taught me that food is not just about following recipes; it is about understanding, experimenting, creating, and ultimately making people feel something through what you put on their plate.
Cooking inspiration
What inspires my cooking is the ability of food to tell a story and create an experience. I’m inspired by the memories, emotions, and people connected to food. Growing up, I saw how my mother’s cooking could bring everyone together and instantly put a smile on our faces. That stayed with me and shaped the way I see food today.
I’m also inspired by curiosity. I’m constantly asking myself, “What else can I do with this ingredient? How can I present this familiar dish differently? What happens if I approach this technique from another angle?” That curiosity pushes me to experiment, learn, and create.
My Nigerian roots are another major source of inspiration. I love our ingredients, flavours, techniques, and the stories behind our food, but I also enjoy exploring how they can be reimagined through my own culinary perspective, especially through Afro-fusion.
Ultimately, I’m inspired by the opportunity to make people feel something through food. For me, the greatest reward is when someone tastes what I’ve created and it takes them somewhere, whether that is a childhood memory, a familiar flavor, or an entirely new experience.
Signature dish
I wouldn’t say I’ve always had one dish that I called my signature, because I’m constantly experimenting and evolving as a chef. But if I had to choose a dish that represents my culinary identity, it would be my Beans and plantain Tacos.
The inspiration behind this dish came from wanting to create another way for people to experience beans. Beans are an important part of our diet and can be incredibly versatile, but many of the ways we commonly enjoy them—such as akara, moi moi, or a traditional bowl of beans, can feel quite heavy and filling.
I wanted to challenge that perception and ask myself: “What if I could take the familiar flavours of beans and plantain and create an experience that feels lighter, and completely different?”
That led me to the idea of transforming these familiar Nigerian ingredients into tacos. Instead of presenting beans as the main, heavy component of a meal, I break down the different elements and use them in a way that allows you to experience their flavour, texture, and character differently.
The dish is my way of showing that beans don’t have to be limited to the ways we traditionally know them. You can take a familiar ingredient, understand it, deconstruct it, and give people an entirely new way to experience it without losing its identity.
Why I want to participate
I want to participate in this competition because I see it as an opportunity to challenge myself, grow as a chef, and take my culinary journey to the next level. I’m also excited about the opportunity to showcase my culinary identity. I want people to experience the way I approach food,bringing together my Nigerian roots, my love for Afro-fusion, my curiosity, and my creativity to create dishes that are both familiar and unexpected.
Most importantly, I want to participate because I believe great chefs never stop learning. I want to learn from other talented chefs, challenge my creativity and see how far I can push myself.
And, of course, I’m coming to compete. I want to give it my very best, create memorable food, and hopefully leave with more than just a title. I want to leave as a better and more confident chef.
What winning would mean
Winning would mean a lot to me because it would be a reflection of how far I’ve come in my culinary journey.
For me, it wouldn’t just be about holding a trophy or being called the winner. It would be a reminder of the curious little girl who started experimenting in the kitchen, the young woman who chose to study Food Science because she wanted to understand food on a deeper level, and the chef who later pursued professional culinary training because she knew she had more to explore.
It would also give me the confidence to trust my voice and my culinary identity even more. I want to show that Nigerian ingredients and flavours can be approached with creativity, intention, and a fresh perspective while still respecting where they come from. Most importantly, winning would open doors. It would give me a stronger platform to share my work, inspire other aspiring chefs, and continue creating food that makes people curious, connects them to our culture, and gives them memorable experiences.
So, yes, winning would make me incredibly happy but beyond the title, it would be a confirmation that the curiosity that started my journey has brought me somewhere meaningful, and that there is still so much more for me to create.
