FoodbayTV, a platform of Maxima Media Group, has announced a new platform to be sponsored by Devon Kings called “Street Foodz Naija”, a televised and digitally transmitted docu-reality series that will showcase the best of Nigeria’s street food delicacies and award the finalist with a one million naira cash prize, renovated space and loads of consolation prizes.
Oluwafemi Ogundoro, the managing director, Maxima Media Group, who spoke on the process for the competition and its incentives at a recent press parley said that the competition is set to commerce in two weeks’ time and that they were excited to embark on this journey with Devon Kings.
“I believe it is important to note that this is the first of its kind in Africa. This is all in a bid to ensuring that we change the food narrative in Nigeria and put the African food on the world food map because if you look at the street foods in Nigeria, there is not a lot of attention to it,”
“Our Judges have taken time to go through each and every entry, the contestants were chosen purely on merit and based on a potential ensuring that we change the food narrative in Nigeria and put the African food on the world food map,” Ogundoro explained.
A call for entry was publicised on radio and TV and on popular social media platforms. The contestants were encouraged to make videos based on certain criteria to compete and from it and were selected based on popularity, uniqueness of entries, food type and creativity and ability to move their food business to the next level.
Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, Marketing Director, Devon King’s, spoke on three things the viewers of the show should expect. “First, Street food is all about taste and diversity. This will provide a great opportunity to understand how Street food is prepared and the process. Second, Passion and Creativity, anyone that likes food will tell you the manner in which you cook the people you enjoy the food with and how it is served is a very emotional experience. The contestants have really come from the grassroots and they have their stories,” says Bandyopadhyay,
Bandyopadhyay further said that maybe someone will be inspired to start a business; and finally, entertainment, education, recipes, and challenging the creativity of the street food chefs.
The 13 candidates that were shortlisted from the call for entry process will share their food stories, their journey, and the uniqueness of their business. The audience are to vote for the best story over the next 13 weeks, from which 7 contestants would then be chosen. These 7 will then face a series of trials known as “street credibility tests”.
The contestants will then move on to the semi-finals and the grand finale. The finale will hold at the Street Food Festival, the first of its kind in Nigeria. The judges are three high profile individuals in the food and nutrition space. They are Etteh Assam popularly known as Chef Etteh, Adetomi ‘Imoteda’ a Nigerian Chef and co-owner of Eko Street Eat, and Adedamola Ladejobi, a certified personal nutritionist and weight loss expert.
BUNMI BAILEY
