I AM AN ADVOCATE OF HEALTHY & ORGANIC FOOD - CHEF KHEN

Chef Khen is a popular chef and one of the participants in the forthcoming cooking competition called Soupastars organised by Regina Askia Williams.

She told City People Online Fashion and Beauty Magazine why she decided to take part in the competition.

You are one of those taking part in Regina Askia Williams cooking competition called Soupastars. How did you get on board?

My name is Ayokunle Apoeso, most people know me as Chef Khen.

I got to know about Soup-a-star through my friend Green. I am an advocate of healthy and organic food so he told me the Soup-a-stars was a cooking competition that wants to showcase healthy food using our indigenous ingredients.

What's your role in the competition?

I belong to the Royal army of King Tonto Dike, Team Jos. We are royalty and also the winning team.

What made you become a Chef? Why not another career?

 Well, I have always enjoyed cooking. I am very adventurous with food, I hardly ever ate out while growing up because I always found something wrong with the food. So I became very keen about cooking in my university days when I cook for students who didn’t want to go through the stress and also events on campus. Let’s just say I enjoy cooking good food, and the pleasure of seeing people enjoy the food is refreshing.

Tell us about your growing up years. Where were you born and where did you study?

I was born in Ibadan, Oyo state. I have lived at Ibadan, Ilesha, Ondo but majorly in Lagos state. Funny enough I grew up detesting kitchen chores but along the line I realized I enjoyed cooking, that’s how I gradually fell in love with the totality of the kitchen. I studied English and performing art at Olabisi Onabanjo University, I worked as first as a corporate affairs officer at TAC LAWNA printing press limited. I was later promoted as a manager. Then I started my proper Culinary training first at Sky Restaurant, Eko Hotel and Suites, there I met amazing people that encouraged me to further my training. I proceeded to South Africa for a few certificates with the South Africa Chef Association before I went to culinary school (Chef Training and Innovation Academy) in Centurion, South Africa. I worked a bit with Sheraton Hotel in Pretoria before returning to Nigeria fully in 2016. I worked with my friend and partner Kitchen Victore for a while before traveling for my last training, we still work together till date and it’s been so amazing.