George Nweke: From cooking on Lagos streets to Dubai’s seven-star hotel

George Nweke’s story epitomizes the ultimate ‘Japa’ dream—the aspiration of many Nigerians who relocate abroad in pursuit of greener pastures. His unwavering dedication, resilience, and the quintessential Nigerian spirit of hard work and ingenuity opened doors to opportunities beyond his imagination, propelling him to the peak of his career.

Born on December 14th, 1985, in Onicha-Igo, a small village in the Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, he always knew he couldn’t confine himself to the limitations of his humble beginnings. As the firstborn, he bore the weight of responsibility for his younger siblings, a duty that shaped his ambitions from an early age.

He began his education at Our Lady Schools, Anyigba. However, due to financial constraints, he was unable to further his studies, bringing his formal classroom learning to an early halt.

“I didn’t really further my education because I had to drop out to hustle and help my parents in raising my younger ones”

Nweke journeyed to Lagos, Nigeria’s bustling commercial city, with hopes of securing a job and earning enough to support his parents and younger siblings back home.

In Lagos, he got a job at a restaurant, with a starting position in the kitchen—a space where he not only honed his passion for cooking but also laid a strong foundation for his culinary journey. However, just as he was settling into the role, the restaurant unexpectedly shut down but this did not deter him as he decided to set up his little cooking shop on the streets which became a huge profit-making venture for him.

“I finally got the chance to move to Lagos where I worked a little in a restaurant. As of then, it was a restaurant that I was always hustling in front of. And I decided to ask them one day if I could work there because I have always had a passion for cooking. Because I know the owner, I decided to speak with him and he said yes,”.

Moving to Dubai

While diligently pursuing his work, his friendly nature endeared him to many. One day, he met a friend who told him about a life-changing opportunity to travel to Dubai. Inspired by the prospect, he began planning his trip, saved diligently to secure his visa, and eventually relocated to Dubai—a decision that transformed his fortune forever.

“ In 2014 he called me and he said if you come to Dubai, I think you are going to make it big time. So you need to start putting money together. So I started hustling for money for a visa. I started keeping money together, and when my money was complete in 2015, that was how I left for Dubai”

In Dubai he debuted his hustling spirit, searching for jobs, which didn’t take long for him to get in the Kitchen of Jumeirah group as a commis chef “Well, my passion for the kitchen has always been there, right from time immemorial, even before I started working in the kitchen,”. The role was one he loved as he already had prior experience working in the kitchen back in Nigeria additionally, it was his passion “I have always wanted to cook something, to put my imagination to work”

While cooking in Dubai, he honed his culinary skills, refining his craft despite never attending a formal cooking school.“ I didn’t attend any culinary school,” the kitchen became his training ground, where he perfected the art of cooking through dedication and experience.

“And this is the reason why a lot of people enjoy working in the kitchen in Dubai. Because they will always take you as someone who doesn’t know anything. And by the time you are done, you will be able to challenge anybody who went to any culinary school. And you have to understand that theory is different from practice. In the kitchen, you practice these things day by day, the best way to learn how to cook is to get into the kitchen and start cooking,”.

With his exceptional culinary skills, hard work and dedication, he has secured numerous opportunities across top-tier hotels in Dubai, including Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa and Four Seasons Dubai Difc, ultimately rising to the position of Chef de Partie.