The thrills, the spills, the finesse, the aromas, spices, the sound of the knife hitting the boards, the sight of food being plated especially. All this tickled my senses and gave me dreams almost every night. So it’s no surprise that my dream was to become a chef.
Returned in 2008 to my Motherland, after turning down a job
in a big energy firm, and decided to hit the ground running with my first
restaurant. The passionate juices were flowing non-stop all through the
renovations down till my last day there. I remember sleeping over night at site
just to make sure satisfactory work was done on time. I remember a lot during
that period even down to the mosquito bites. I always walked into the kitchen
with a lot of ginger and joy because no matter how small, I was living my
dream.
Unfortunately things didn’t pan out as I wanted it to. I had
to sell my share of the restaurant and was back to square one. To me it was
like my dream had turned to a nightmare. A lot went through my mind. I asked
myself a lot of questions. One question I asked myself a lot was if I had made
the right decision not going for a desk job or white collar work. I tried a lot
of things during my ‘sabbatical’ from hospitality, but none of them really
worked for me. One of the things I tried was real estate, but I just didn’t
have enough drive for it.
The year 2012 rolled on, and the Occupy Nigeria protests
started. I was stuck in my flat trying to figure out how to occupy my own time.
I remember lamenting to my dearest mother and as the sweetest mum she’s always
been she suggested I spend my time baking those cookies I’ve always dreamt of
baking and let her taste it later. So I went into the kitchen and baked them.
Recipe after recipe, minute after minute, hour after hour I stood in the
kitchen baking and perfecting. I remember my mum tasting them and listening to
me, with a smile, rave on and on about how I altered the recipes. From that day
I continued baking and kept having my mum, family and later friends and
neighbors sample my cookies. With time after one or 2 purchases I realized that
I had been given another lifeline. My dream had been given another chance to
live. I quickly registered my company Cookie Jar and continued with my dream.
It wasn’t easy at first. I was met with a lot of opposition
and lacked support. I started with just N15,000 which honestly was all I really
had. I remember the days of being on a cookie diet because I didn’t want to bug
my family for any pocket money or assistance. I did my very best never to doubt
that my decision was the best. With every failure I had, I never gave up, I
picked myself up and learnt from the mistake. I strived and fought every
temptation I faced and just kept my sights on my dream. My dream that had now
grown from just becoming a Chef to owning the largest bakery chain in the
world.
Some said I was crazy and that hunger will wake me up from
this dream, but here I am now thanks to God, a loving Mother and wonderful and
hardworking staff. My dreams have even grown more with the addition of
inspiring people near and far to chase their dream no matter what. The company
I started with just N15,000 is now worth an estimated N1 billion naira, hence
the name the billionaire baker. The sky is no longer my limit, it’s my stepping
stone. No one says it’s going to be easy but it’s definitely going to be worth
it. The road to success is filled with a lot of parking spaces and comfortable
stops, but we owe it to ourselves to fulfill that dream because no matter where
you are or where you are from your dreams will always be worth fighting and
living for. So live everyday like it’s your last, be an inspiration and a
beacon and be sure to give everyone a Billion Reasons to Believe.
Are you a reason to believe? Share your story… email: abillionreasonstobeleive@iamcookiejar.com
Follow: @iamcookiejar and @cheferos on Instagram
0 comments:
Post a Comment