The first time I dedicated myself to cooking was when I went to Switzerland with my dad over the summer. I remember that we decided to cook something different every day, just for fun, and while frying and stuffing my face with “mozzarella in carrozza” I actually realised that cooking was something really important to me.
I always loved art but I was initially too scared of becoming an artist. I consider myself a creative person and in my spare time, I enjoy putting together art works using simple materials such as wood and metal (see “PRASE, metal and wood”). I also enjoy repairing and customizing clothes with drawings and patterns.
To follow this vocation, I decided to study Art History in London. After graduating, I joined renowned Parisian bakery Poilâne, where I was charged with making bread and pastries every day. I was attracted to the job because it seemed to me to be the ultimate combination of use and art: within hours, a set of ingredients held in my hands could be transformed into a loaf held in the hands of a happy customer.
It was a really rewarding experience, but at the same time, those were really tough months physically and mentally. Working at night and sleeping during the day didn’t allow me to have a full social life. Nonetheless, I became very good friends with my loaves of bread 🙂
What fascinates me about bread is the fact that it is so simple and at the same time so complicated as well. It consists of only three ingredients and you can find it in every culture, all around the world, but each version has its own method and recipe. Just by changing the ratios of the ingredients, the temperature and the method of cooking, you can achieve completely different results. For me, the process of bread-making is integral to my conception of the human experience: not only is it a manual job that requires touch and dexterity, but it is also a tradition that ties us to our ancestors far before the digital age.
How did Covid-19 impact your life?
I have been working in a restaurant in London for almost a year as a chef. The peculiarity about Ikoyi is that we use sub-Saharan West African spices combined with seasonal and fresh British vegetables, fish and meat. The restaurant itself is quite new and received its first Michelin star one year after opening. However, due to Covid-19 we temporarily had to close and think about new strategies for the future. To support our team, we started selling some of our most carefully selected products such as Cameroon boyo coffee and Kaluga hybrid caviar as well as offering gift vouchers for future dinners.
I am positive about the future and I believe that once this will be all over, people will still want to go out for dinner and enjoy the innovative and creative food that we make. Overall, I have deeply enjoyed working as a cook because it has allowed me to express my creativity through ‘edible’ art works even more freely than as a baker.
How are you currently keeping yourself busy?
I have to admit that I am quite enjoying all of this free time, as for the first time in a while I have had a chance to take care of myself properly as well as start a new project that I have been thinking about for some time. Every day I make and deliver healthy, delicious and affordable meals such as parmigiana, lasagna and tarts to homes in nearby neighbourhoods in London. This has been a good opportunity to reinvent myself and simultaneously, light up people’s quarantines.
Every day I look at the ingredients I have in my fridge and challenge myself to come up with a few dishes. My mum always taught me not to waste anything and always found creative ways to reuse leftovers. There was a joke in my family where everyone used to say not to eat my mum’s meatballs, because they were made with all the leftovers of the week, but they were actually delicious!
Be creative!