Esther Barry
Food Content Creator · Surulere
Less than 1 year cooking experiencePersonal information
- Full name
- Esther Barry
- Location
- Surulere
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 26
- Phone
- 09027614991
- estherbarry39@gmail.com
- Residential address
- 44 Ayialara street, off Ojulegba
- Social handles
- Esty's pot
Applicant profile
- Applicant type
- Food Content Creator
- Applicant type other
- Food Content Creator specializing in Nigerian and intercontinental cuisine, recipe creation, cooking tutorials, food presentation, and food business content.
- Current occupation
- Chef
- Cooking experience
- Less than 1 year
Competition experience
- Prior competitions
- No
- Competition details
- Yes
Competition readiness
- Available throughout competition
- Yes
Entrepreneurship and impact
- Runs a food business
- —
- Business name
- Esty's pot
- Business type
- Food/ palm oil
- Years in operation
- 1 year
- Business challenge
- To gain visibility, and also gets to meet new talented chefs in the industry
Culinary journey
My culinary journey started with a love for cooking that I developed as a child. Growing up around food and spending time in the kitchen made cooking feel natural to me. As I grew older, I became more intentional about developing my skills and learning how to prepare different kinds of dishes.
My passion led me to pursue professional culinary training, where I was able to improve my techniques and gain a deeper understanding of both African and intercontinental cuisine. I enjoy experimenting with recipes, learning new cooking methods and creating meals that are not limited to the cuisine I grew up with.
Today, I am a chef and I am building my food business, Esty’s Pot, while also creating food content. My journey is still growing, but cooking has become more than just something I know how to do—it is a skill, a creative outlet and something I genuinely love.
Cooking inspiration
My inspiration for cooking comes from my family and the environment I grew up in. I grew up with my grandmother in a small town, and she also ran a small restaurant. As a child, I was always around her kitchen, watching food being prepared and seeing how meals brought people together. My mother also owned a small restaurant, so food and cooking were a big part of my upbringing.
Signature dish
My signature dish is Afang soup, a traditional Nigerian dish that I have a deep love for. I enjoy preparing it because of its rich flavours, unique texture and the way different ingredients come together to create a comforting and satisfying meal.
What makes my Afang special is the care I put into balancing the flavours and preparing each ingredient properly. I love paying attention to the little details, from the quality of the ingredients to the seasoning and final presentation.
Afang also represents an important part of my culinary identity. It reminds me of the Nigerian food culture I grew up around, while allowing me to express my own creativity as a chef. For me, it is more than just a dish—it represents my love for creating food that is authentic, flavorful and memorable.
Why I want to participate
I want to participate because cooking is more than a profession to me; it is something I have loved since childhood and a way I express my creativity and connect with people. I want the opportunity to challenge myself, learn from other talented food creators and showcase my skills to a wider audience.
I also want to use this opportunity to grow as a chef and build my food brand, Esty’s Pot. Participating would give me the confidence, exposure and experience to take my culinary journey to the next level. Most importantly, I want to prove to myself that the passion I have carried since childhood can become something meaningful and impactful.
What winning would mean
Winning would mean much more to me than receiving a prize. It would be recognition of the passion, creativity and hard work I have put into cooking over the years. It would give me greater confidence in my abilities and motivate me to keep developing myself as a chef.
It would also be an important step toward growing Esty’s Pot into a stronger food brand. The exposure and opportunities that come with winning could help me reach more people, grow my audience and take my business to a higher level. Most importantly, it would remind me that a passion I discovered as a child can become a real and meaningful career.
