Blessing Chiwendu Okeke
Professional Chef · Surulere
8+ years cooking experiencePersonal information
- Full name
- Blessing Chiwendu Okeke
- Location
- Surulere
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 33
- Phone
- 08127529509
- wendyjohn089@gmail.com
- Residential address
- No 1 bank Olemoh Surulere Lagos
- Social handles
- Chef_w_o
Applicant profile
- Applicant type
- Professional Chef
- Applicant type other
- Private Chef
- Current occupation
- Chef
- Cooking experience
- 8+ years
Competition experience
- Prior competitions
- No
- Competition details
- Nil
Competition readiness
- Available throughout competition
- Yes
Entrepreneurship and impact
- Runs a food business
- No
- Business name
- Nil
- Business type
- Nil
- Years in operation
- —
- Business challenge
- One challenge I believe Eko Flavours could help me overcome is the fear of stepping outside my comfort zone and putting my skills on a bigger platform.
I have grown through different stages of my culinary journey, from starting as a service girl to becoming a Head Chef and now working as a Private Chef. However, most of my experience has been behind the scenes, creating meals for restaurants and private clients.
Eko Flavours would give me the opportunity to challenge myself, compete alongside other talented chefs, receive honest feedback, and gain the confidence to showcase my creativity to a wider audience.
I believe it would push me to see my abilities differently, strengthen my confidence, and help me take the next step in my culinary career.
Culinary journey
My culinary journey began when I was still in secondary school, waiting for my WAEC results. I started working as a service girl for a neighbour, and it was during that period that I discovered my love for cooking.
At first, I started by helping with simple tasks, but gradually, I was trusted to prepare the jollof rice base. Before long, I was given the responsibility of cooking an entire pot of rice. That was when I began to realise that I had something special in me. I had a natural ability to work with ingredients and transform even a few simple ingredients into something delicious and memorable.
That passion eventually brought me to Lagos, where I applied for a job as a kitchen assistant. I started from the bottom, learned as much as I could, and through hard work and dedication, I was promoted to Head Chef.
Becoming a Head Chef taught me much more than cooking. It taught me time management, discipline, organisation, leadership, and the importance of being intentional about every meal I prepare. It also changed the way I see life. I believe you can call life whatever you want to call it, just as you can call food whatever you want to call it but what truly matters is what you make out of what you have been given.
Today, I work as a private chef, and every kitchen I enter is an opportunity for me to pour my heart into what I do and create great meals. Cooking has made me more creative, disciplined, intentional, and confident in my craft.
My journey is not just about food. It is about growth, resilience, creativity, and making something beautiful out of what you have.
My goal is to continue learning, improving my craft, and pushing myself to become a better chef. Ultimately, I want to use my story and experience to inspire others who dream of building a career in the culinary industry and remind them that where you start does not determine where you can go.
Cooking inspiration
What inspired my cooking was the discovery that I could create something amazing from even the simplest ingredients.
I became fascinated by how different ingredients could come together to create something completely different and beautiful. That experience made me realise that cooking was more than just preparing food, for me it was a form of creativity and self-expression.
As I grew in my culinary journey, every kitchen, every meal, and every challenge inspired me to learn more and become better. Today, what continues to inspire me is the opportunity to take ordinary ingredients, pour my creativity and heart into them, and turn them into meals that people can enjoy and remember.
Signature dish
My signature dish is my Coconut Chicken Soup, a dish that brings together the comforting richness of a continental-style soup with the bold, vibrant flavours of Nigerian cooking.
What makes my version special is that it may look like a continental dish when it is served, but the moment you taste it, you get that unmistakable Nigerian feeling. I use bold flavours, carefully selected spices, tender chicken, creamy coconut, and vibrant vegetables to create a soup that is both comforting and full of character.
For me, this dish represents my cooking philosophy: taking different culinary influences and bringing them together in a way that feels familiar, exciting, and uniquely mine. It is a dish that is not only beautiful to look at but also tells a story through every spoonful.
Why I want to participate
I want to participate in this culinary competition because I see it as an opportunity to challenge myself, showcase my creativity, and share my story through food.
My journey into the culinary industry started from a very humble place. Every stage of my journey has taught me something different, and I believe this competition is another opportunity to grow.
I want to step outside my comfort zone, learn from other talented chefs, receive valuable feedback, and discover just how far I can push my creativity. I also want to showcase the beauty of Nigerian flavours and demonstrate how our bold, vibrant ingredients can be presented in exciting and modern ways.
Most importantly, I want to inspire others through my story. I want people to see that where you start does not determine where you can go. For me, this competition is not just about winning it is about growth, representation, learning, and giving my best to something I truly love.
What winning would mean
Winning to me means more than taking home a trophy. It means knowing that I gave my absolute best, challenged myself, and showed what I am capable of as a chef.
It would be a beautiful reminder of how far I have come. Winning would represent the years of hard work, learning, mistakes, growth, and passion that have brought me to where I am today.
It would also give me a bigger platform to showcase Nigerian flavours, tell my story through food, and inspire others who may be starting from a humble place like I did.
So, while I would absolutely love to win, my greatest victory would be leaving the competition knowing that I pushed myself, learned something new, and gave everything I had.
