Gbemisola Bianca Omogbemi is a food vendor and caterer. Although a graduate of International Relations, the young entrepreneur makes ends meet through her passion for cooking.
She is the chief executive officer and chief chef of Adunni Cooks, a company that is known for its diversity in cuisines and delivery to customers.
She started the business officially in 2017 while still in school in order to make extra cash and be able to provide what she needed.
Gbemisola was inspired by her grandmother.
“I grew up with my grandmother who used to cook in large quantity. Back then, everyone in the street would come for lunch and she would be happy to feed them. That was when I developed the love for cooking. I was very tender then and I grew up with that passion,” she says.
She started her business with N7000, which was her personal savings.
“I started with just N7,000. I was so desperate to prove myself and then I set out to get ingredients for fried rice and got 3kg of turkey. I had advertised and hyped myself for days on WhatsApp before then, so I got three lunch orders and I even added free drink to impress ,” she narrates.
“I still cook for that particular client till date. I thought of ways to make extra cash and I started selling roasted plantain and fish. I also catered for birthdays and convocations and, today, we are here to make a difference.”
She says her business has had tremendous growth since its inception. “The business has gone from taking four to five lunch orders to actually catering for events and I’m truly grateful for the growth,” the young entrepreneur says.
As a young graduate and youth in Nigeria, she has helped curb unemployment by engaging five people and looking to do more when the business expands further. Three of these employees work as service boys for outdoor functions and the other two are kitchen assistants.
She uses quality ingredients from Mile 12 market and gets her major spices from neighbouring West African countries.
Like every entrepreneur, Gbemisola encounters some challenges in her business. Her biggest challenge is visibility.
“I think the major challenge for me would be visibility, that is, knowing the right event planners that would trust your brand,” she says.
“In a lot of parties you attend, it’s the same vendor over and over. In as much as I understand that no one wants to take risks where it concerns catering for their events , I think it’s important to branch out a little bit,” she explains.
She gives more insight on why people should patronise her business.
“For me, I do this for the love of good food. I genuinely love what I do and I put my heart and soul into it. In as much as I want to make profit, I never compromise standards. It’s important that it’s healthy, tasty, and ultimately worth the money spent,” the entrepreneur proudly says.
Speaking on her expansion plans, Gbemisola says, “Currently, I’m working on branded spices. I have resourced a good amount of spices and recipes and I want to take people on this flavour-filled journey. I have also partnered with an amazing grilling company Bargrillque, and we are working on some really fun ideas. I’m a fan of healthy food and so would be producing a range of organically-grown fruit juice later in the year.”
The young entrepreneur gives some pieces of advice to younger and upcoming entrepreneurs. She tells them to never compromise on quality.
She says starting out always seems tough but rewards often come later.
“If it’s what you genuinely love to do, then it would be worth it at the end. Enjoy your process and do not compare your brand to another. Appreciate small beginnings and always be ready to learn, and there’s no such thing as knowing too much.”
Jonathan Aderoju
