Street Foodz Naija, an exciting television show that celebrates Nigeria’s rich street food culture, is set for season 5.
This year’s edition, which holds on the theme, “Love and Street Food”, will debut on September 15, 2024, with the winner going home with a whopping N10 million prize.
In addition to the grand prize, 14 contestants will receive scholarships from the Hospitality Business School (HBS), SME toolkit, and other valuable consolation prizes courtesy of the sponsoring companies.
The season 5 of the show, a platform for empowering local talent, is in partnership with the Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Youth and Social Development as technical collaborators.
With the debut, calls for entries and auditions follow, and will be concluded on September 23, 2024, while the actual competition commences in October on a date yet to be announced.
Speaking at a media parley in Lagos recently, Femi Ogundoro, managing director, Food Bay Television, organiser of the competition, disclosed that 19 contestants will be vying in the competition, while the series will be broadcasted on major television stations across the country on Saturdays and Sundays for seven weeks, culminating in the grand finale on November 16, 2024.
In attendance at the media parley were some senior officials of the Lagos State Government, including Mobolaji Ogundele, Commissioner for Youths and Social Development; Raymond Abiodun, managing director, Prism Healthcare; Eric Mekwunye, CEO, Hospitality Business School, representatives of the sponsors and the panel of judges.
The corporate sponsors include; Hospitality Business School, Prism Healthcare Ltd, FCMB, Golden Penny Calypso, and Tiger Nuts.
Speaking further, Ogundoro elaborated that the show aims to unearth what he described as the unacknowledged heroes among talented young Nigerians in the street food sector of the culinary industry and spotlight them on the global stage.
He cited the success stories of Korede Spaghetti and Kinglab, both of whom have transformed their street food ventures into significant enterprises through their participation in the past seasons, as some of the feats of the show.
He also noted that there are numerous street food vendors who have been in the business for over a decade without a transformative platform like Food Bay TV to mentor and elevate them into stars capable of competing on an international level.
According to him, the street food vendors require branding and positioning to ascend to greater heights, as Food Bay TV has propelled the industry into the international spotlight.
He emphasized that the show is centered on value creation and offers a source of supplementary income for the participants.
The managing director commended the Lagos State Government through the Ministry for Youth and Social Development for providing technical support to the project, and expressed gratitude to the corporate sponsors for embracing the initiative.
“We have partnered with the Lagos State Government, and we are pleased that the government is willing to collaborate with us to lend credibility and technical expertise to the project,” Ogundoro said.
Some of the brand managers of the corporate sponsors shared their motivations for joining the initiative. Recognizing the significance of the show Kayode, brand manager of Maltina, stated, “In nourishment, we aim to invigorate the show. Our Tiger brand symbolizes the courage and boldness expected from the contestants in the current season.”
Modupe Boluwa of Calypso, expressed appreciation to the organisers for incorporating the brand into the show, remarking, “We have witnessed the unique concepts of the contestants and the extent of their creativity. We are infusing the African spirit into the cuisine. We extend our gratitude to the Lagos State Government for their involvement.”
Chef Tolani, founder of Diary of A Kitchen Lover, and one of the judges of the competition, articulated her anticipation of creativity and originality from the contestants. She believes that the initiative offers food vendors the platform to showcase their culinary talents and become authorities in the industry.
Lateef Saka, director in the Lagos State Ministry of Youths Social Development, acknowledged that the show is timely as the government alone cannot oversee youth development programmes, thus necessitating collaboration with Food Bay TV to nurture and cultivate the talents of the youth in the state.”
On his part, Mekwunye stressed the need for kitchen safety to guide the contestants on fitness, as food is a serious business. He emphasized that the involvement of the Lagos State Government would aid in monitoring unethical practices among food vendors who resort to using harmful chemical substances to boost sales.
