Interview with Nigeria’s First Online Chefs Retails Store with His Founder- Alexander Adegboye Ayodele

The diving rate of young ones into the culinary industry day by day is
drastically improving which is indeed a great symbol of growth and a
plus to the culinary industry, The winner of Teens Chef Hunt Season 1
Alexander Adegboye has proved this by introducing an online market to
the culinary industry of Nigeria named CHEFS MARKET, we were amazed at
such an idea from a young chef like him so we arranged an interview
with him where he can share with us how the business was given birth
to. We hope Nigerian youths will learn from his ambitions.

HOW DO YOU CAME ABOUT CHEFS MARKET?

Response: What makes up an African kitchen is not just racks of
African ingredients on the kitchen walls but also African made
utensils. Chefs Market is an online store created to showcase the
importance of Nigerian Blacksmiths. The production of almost every
utensils used by chefs are works of blacksmith. I thought of how to
make Nigerian Blacksmiths produce most of what we chefs use but I
realized I'll be needing a market to sell them after production until
its accepted in the open market, I've seen creative write ups about
chefs on t shirts, I know renounced Professional chefs in Nigeria like
Chef TiyanAlile, Chef Fregz and others will soon write cookery books.
All these amongst others are what I thought of and I knew it's going
to be nice having a market that will focus on the sales of everything
for and about chefs. and that's how Chefs So I though of creating an
online store for it for easy navigation

YOU SAID SOMETHING IN YOUR PREVIOUS ANSWER: "UNTIL IT'S ACCEPTED IN
THE OPEN MARKET" HOW DO YOU MEAN?

Response: It's obvious that Nigerians don't value Locally made goods
and that's not at all a problem for me, everyone wants quality and I
think that is seriously lacking, Myself with other friends ans
culinary boss will do all it can to restore quality back to the sector
by creating competition amongst Blacksmiths so everyone will strive to
produce the best in quality designs of different kinds of knives
ranging from chefs knives to pairing knives, bird beak knives and
other common knives amongst chefs.

TALKING ABOUT STANDARD, NO CHEF WANTS GADGETS THAT ARE POOR IN
STANDARD THAT WILL RUIN HIS/HER PERSONALITY OR REDUCE THEIR FLOW OF
WORK IN THE KITCHEN, I MEAN, YOU BEING A CHEF, HOW WILL YOU FEEL IF
WHEN YOU INVITE A FOREIGN CHEF INTO YOUR KITCHEN PROBABLY TO LEARN
ABOUT AFRICAN CUISINES AND ALL HE/SHE IS SEEING ARE LOCALLY MADE
UTENSILS.

Response: Funny but important question. First, Nigeria is a developing
country that does not want to be called a developing country and
that's why we decide to claim to be who we are not, Any foreign chef
coming into your kitchen knows you country is still developing and
will appreciate every local utensils found in your kitchen and will
happily use it. no country will develop by skipping a step on its
ladder of development because every step is a lesson and you know what
every lesson skipped means. Secondly, every chef is a big fan of
tourism its, tourism is not about a foreign chef seeing expensive
gadgets in your kitchen (of course there are luxury kitchen) it's
about them seeing new things. Foreign guest as you mentioned likes to
see things locally made in you environment so I think we are good.
Moreover, this is just a start, we promise good product design and
quality will drastically improve within a short period of time.


YOU ARE A CHEF AND CHEFS ARE KNOWN FOR BEING IN THE KITCHEN.DO YOU
THINK CREATING AN ONLINE STORE IS STILL IN LINE WITH YOUR CULINARY
CAREERS?

Response: laughs.. this is not interview about my career but about
Chefs Market, but not withstanding I think I have an answer. Of a
truth, the word chef de cuisine means head of the kitchen so you're
very right, but I'm not just a chef, I'm also a culinary Entrepreneur.

HOW OPEN IS CHEFS MARKET ADMINISTRATOR WHEN IT COMES TO TAKING ADVICE
FROM CUSTOMERS AND RESPONDING TO CUSTOMERS.

Response: We are very open to that because we strongly believe that
the idea that will take a business to its next level might not come
from either the owner of the business or the Administrators so we are
very open. We have various means of contact on our websites homepage
so people should please send their comments we'll really appreciate.

Thank you so much for your time out in our studio today we wish you
and the company the best

My pleasure sir.

www.chefsmarket.com.n