Tumininu Olaniyi, better known as ChefT, has carved a remarkable niche in the culinary world as founder and CEO of Home of Tasty Meals, where she has transformed her love for cooking into a thriving business empire. In this interview with JOHN SALAU, the Business Administration graduate from the University of Lagos (Unilag), spoke about how her passion for cooking led her into culinary journey. According to her, ChefT’s culinary journey is a testament to the power of passion and dedication in turning dreams into reality. Excerpts:
You started cooking as a passion, but have grown your passion into a thriving business; how has the journey been for you?
So, let me answer you. I figured out. Yes, it started off as a passion. But, in the space of everything, I figured out that we have a problem in the food sector, whereby a lot of people are cooking. They will tell people 24 to 48 hours before the meal is ready. So, I now told myself, how can I make it different? And I also figured out, a lot of people are out there, they love good food, they know good food, but it is very hard to come by. It is hard to come by because people are scared to put a price on it. You know, good food is not cheap. So, a lot of people are actually scared to put the main price of good food on it. So, I told myself, I am going to start this business and I am going to get paid well on it and I am going to deliver value for it. And the prices won’t be cheap. The people that know good food will pay. So, I am targeting the high-end people, the people that are always in their offices that do not have time to cook, but want good food.
If we agree that good food is expensive and we need people to eat well. How do we bridge that gap to meet people in the middle?
So, the thing is, we understand the fact that people want to eat healthy, and they also want to eat good. So, there is something we put out there. We make meals with preference. You might not eat – maybe you don’t eat goat meat. We have people that do not eat goat meat.
We have people that do not eat assorted meat. So, we let you give us how you want your meal to be prepared. So, we are giving you an option that, it is not us, we are not cooking it based on what we want. Based on what you want. That means you are meeting the specification.
Let’s look at your culinary journey from passion to business; considering the operating environment, what are the primary challenges, and how have you overcome them?
Inflation. So, in as much as we know the kind of country we are, and whenever there is a price increase, for it to come down, it’s a challenge. So, there is this thing we put out for people, that if we want to increase pricing, there is a way we announce. Also, if we are breaking it down, there is a way we also communicate it, so it doesn’t deter them from ordering from us. And if there is inflation, they know that it cuts across everything, there are bonuses, maybe you order a two-liter bowl, and there is something that will come with it. So, you know you only paid for the soup. So, there is this complimentary swallow – we make sure we add to it; whereby when the meal gets to you, you don’t need to go to the kitchen. We’ve already provided pounded yam – that is how we overcome that. We try to balance it. And also, electricity. You know, there is this band A, band B. It is affecting us. And I don’t think we’ve had a way of trying to restrict that. Rather, we just find time to reduce buying some fresh stuff because we preach fresh meals, and we would not want to freeze it for a long time.
Earlier you said inflation is one of your biggest challenges. With the festive season around us, people must eat. Do you think people will eat good food this period?
This is where we channel the energy of festive period into. Everybody is happy. Everybody wants to eat. Everybody wants to make everybody fine. Yes, it’s a general thing. And people know that during this time, there is this thing we call impulse buying. And people don’t have a choice rather than to buy. This is why it is the best time, best season for us to make our own money. Any food vendor that has not been cashing out since January, this is the best time to bring the A-game out. And no matter the price we put, people will buy because it is festive period.
In about two weeks, 2024 will end. So, looking back, what is your experience like business-wise? How has the year been for you?
To be candid, speaking for myself, I won’t lie, business has been wonderful. Because, you know, another thing, aside the fact that the challenges, the government and everything, it’s okay for you to also evolve as a business, as an entrepreneur. It’s okay for you to evolve. It’s okay for you to invest in yourself, taking your business to the next level. You wouldn’t blame the government all the time. But what are you also doing in your sector? I’ve been able to provide employment for people that they cannot go and get jobs out there. In fact, some of them have not even resumed because some people are doing shifts. So, the thing is, as an entrepreneur, you need to have this mind shift of evolving. You need to also invest in yourself. This year has been superb. It has been wonderful. Because growing the brand with some initiatives that we’ve done, who would have thought? Because a lot of people started shouting inflation, inflation, dollar, dollar. Yes, it’s affecting everybody. But, you know, there is this standard that we have put ourselves, that no matter the inflation, we will still balance, we will still be able to project.
Economics will say a challenging business environment also provides an opportunity for businesses to evolve. So, how have you been able to evolve with the identified challenges?
Okay, so like my team, they complained about salary. They said something about salary increase. You know, I had to tell them, instead of going home and coming back daily – we have our staff quarters that they sleep. We do send order and delivery within two hours. So, I wouldn’t want somebody staying in Ikorodu to resume every day in the morning. So, we are cutting logistics, cutting costs. Instead of using that money on transports, we increase it on their salary while they stay back; and we put it into our own rent.
So, as the year winds down; how would your experiences going into the New Year shape your business plan and support you for 2025?
Okay, 2025. I said something earlier that as an entrepreneur, you need to evolve. You need to invest in yourself. I took a course in LBS. I just graduated some days back. There is a certain structure now in my company because I wanted to scale more. I went for that schooling because I want more structure. I want to be able to, for some time, I do confirm payments and everything. I want to stop all that. I want everything. You know, we are also building AI into the business. There is a website coming up for Home of Tasty Meals now that AI needs to do everything: placing orders, sharing menu lists, price lists, event catering. We are building that now whereby once our customers send messages, AI responds to them. However they want their meals to be prepared; they communicate through that website and it will be delivered. So these structures will be put in place against 2025. You can see my customer care downstairs trying to attend to customers on the system. There won’t be anything of such. So the only thing we need to do is just get money, see how people are working there. Once payments come in and orders are rolling in. So, that what I’ve been able to do personally, and also there are trainings coming up for the team too against 2025.
Many of those operating in the food sector are in the informal segment. Now, if they want to bring structure to their business, just like you did, what route would you advise them to take?
I love that question because currently I own a mentorship class. Mentorship with Chef T. And some of my mentees have been able to actually redefine the food industry. You know, we are restricted. Some people think food business is just something you can just start in your kitchen. So, I’ve been able to redefine that, telling them that is more than that. You can be doing food business and you can also upgrade it to like a corporate sector while you still do your thing. So mentorship with Chef T. has come to stay. And this is why it is open for anybody in the food sector to come at Chef T. I have over 50 students as I speak, mentoring them, telling them how they can upscale their businesses, the routes they can go through, how they can just put that value into the system, incorporate it into their own business. And people start seeing their brand as a big brand. It has to be a big brand for them, a structured brand.
I understand the mentorship with Chef T. is on social media. You use social media a lot; how have you been able to translate your success on social media to influence the brand, Chef T. and the business itself?
Okay, so it has been wonderful. I remember when my business was three years; I started bringing out my face. And a lot of people, they were expecting one big Madame because it’s food business. So, when they saw that it’s a small, tiny lady that is in charge of food. They were like motivated and like, oh, she’s the owner. So, let me say, half of the people following my brand are food vendors. They are inspired by what we are doing. And I don’t stop at that because I support them also. I post businesses, even in my sector. It doesn’t mean I won’t sell. I have carved this niche for myself. People that are on my page, my customers, they are the high-end customers. If I post another food brand and they check, it might not be up to the standard of my own. So, I have carved my niche that I’m not moved by anybody maybe doing competition. I’m not moved by it because I know what I project. I know what I deliver. So, using my face has actually fetched me a lot of buyers. If I should market something, maybe I market this thing with my face, like the lady that supplies rice. There’s this new rice that she brought and I told them that there is a plug. I want to show them the plug. And I posted the lady’s number and the lady called me and said, over one million people had called her that they want to buy. So, when she called me, next year, my plan is to now start using myself as an influencer for the brand I use to cook my meals. Because I think I’ve been lacking in that and I want to project that more. If I should start doing that, maybe these brands, Gino, Pepe, all these people would now come there because I use their products. So if I should recommend, I know I have people that will say, Ah, ChefT said it is good. They will use it.
So, is that a way of saying your business expectation for 2025 would be to create an ‘influencer’ face for your business and for yourself?
Yes, for my business and for myself, yes.
If that’s the plan; how do you plan to go about that? Also, what do you expect to get from it?
It’s still in the works. I expect these brands to come to me and sign me. Because I’m going to do it in a way that they wouldn’t have a choice than to sign me, because I use these brands. And I’m somebody that understands spices. I understand good meals. So I would put it, you also need to brand yourself well before these people would come to you. So, this is something I’ve thought over and I want to project it.
Finally, what are your business expectations for 2025?
Global expansion is in the works actually. Home of Tasty Meals is not just a name, it’s a global brand. Yes, out of 100% of our clientele, we have like maybe 75 in USA, UK and Canada because we do food export. And now, I can tell you for a fact, people that are coming in now, into the country, some of them have booked their orders since September, October, ahead of December. Some of them cannot wait. Ah, that’s Home of Tasty Meals, that’s the food I want to come and eat when I get to Nigeria. So, we’ve carved that niche for ourselves and we want to go to them. We want to have our branches in UK, US, Canada, Dubai and I can tell you for a fact, they are in the works.
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