FROM A COOKIE TO A COOKIE JAR: 17 QUESTIONS WITH CHEF EROS!!!!

Hey guys,

How was your weekend and how's the new week going? Mine was pretty busy and occupied with quite a lot of activities, hence, my seemingly long quietude. July is almost here and I'm so looking forward to it for a number of good reasons..but as much as I'd love to state them, I'd say, lets talk food today shall we? :D

I don't know about you fam but I love food. Not just any food, good food. I love everything involved with it. From thinking it, to dreaming it, to shopping it, to cooking it (even though I don't cook so much), to eating it,...and of cos, we know the next best thing after eating food, is talking about it...and there's no better way to do so than to talk with the boss himself.

With regards to the 15 for 15 monthly challenge, we have the eminent Nigeria's finest food stylist, Tolu Erogbogbo, aka, Chef Eros in the house today.

Tolu Erogbogbo, owner of cookie jar Lekki Lagos, Born to parents from Ikorodu and Benin, a graduate of international Business Management from the University of Wolverhamton in the UK, in this exclusive interview with my humble self, expresses his views and passion for cooking. Enjoy!



1) Hi Chef Eros, can you please tell us about your self?

I’m Chef Eros, Eros is the god of love and my love is food. I’m a gourmet chef, pastry chef, and culinary artist. I love cooking outside the box, creating new flavor profiles and plating food. I enjoy making new dishes and trying out new things. I’m a man of passion and love to inspire people to live their dreams and do what they are passionate about.

2) What was the inspiration behind Chef Eros?

The inspiration was derived from the satisfaction gained after a culinary experience shared by lovers of fine food and the sweeter things of life!

3) How about Cookie Jar, what led to its birth?

Funny enough, it all started during the ‘Occupy Nigeria’ march. I was at home trying not to be idle, business had come to a halt and I was getting a bit frustrated. I knew the night before, I had dreamt of baking cookies. My mum called me and I registered my frustration at being confined to my house during the period. She laughed and suggested I used my time to bake her those cookies I said I had dreamt of baking. I grabbed a book, went into the kitchen and little did I know that one cookie was going to turn into the phenomenon that is CookieJar.
I do thank God, my mum and maybe ‘Occupy Nigeria’.


4) Wow!..isn't that inspiring? From a cookie to a cookie jar..#intresting.
If you weren't cooking and baking though, what would you do for a living?


Note sure really, maybe singing, because I have a really good voice. But I’m a man of passion, I can’t imagine myself doing something else than what I love. If I wasn’t cooking or baking I don’t think I’d neither be as happy as I am now nor fulfilled as I am now.

5) What is the longest you've ever worked without a break in the kitchen or bakery?

I work really long and almost endless hours with my team. We are that dedicated and passionate. I think the longest I did was a 96 hour plus shift. It was a crazy build up to a busy weekend. We had a lot of cakes to bake and supply and more than 5 catering events in 2 days to prep for. I don’t know how we managed to pull through successfully but I thank God. As expected my team and I were really tired afterwards.

6) Most embarrassing cooking/baking moment?

Not sure really. I mean I have had some embarrassing incidents but to say one is more embarrassing than the other is kind of hard because I aim for perfection. So to me a mistake is a mistake no matter how little. In my industry where one little mistake can make you lose a customer and customers deserve to get their money’s worth or more, no one pays to get a mistake.


7) Best cooking/baking moment?

There are so many to mention, to be honest. I love when I make a new dish or I create a new cake flavor. Love plating my food and decorating my cakes, cupcakes or dessert. One moment to remember, would be the vote thanks from a private dinner held at the Miele kitchen in VI where I am the brand Ambassador.

8) If you could dress any way you want, what would you wear in the kitchen?

Oh I love wearing my chef uniform and trade mark native trousers. I wish I could wear my danshiki to work everyday but it has its limitations.

9) Do you wait to eat dinner until your evening customers are all fed?

To be honest I sometimes go an entire day having ate just one meal. I can be so busy and I don’t stop to eat or drink till I’m done with my work. I guess you can say my passion feeds me and keeps me going.

10) top 3 guilty pleasures?

Hmmm, I’m a sucker for dodo, I really can’t resist it. Like seriously I don’t play with it at all. The other two would have to be a really good warm carrot cake served with ice cream and finally cookies dipped in Belgian milk chocolate ganache.

11) person you'd most like to cook for?

Mohammed Buhari and Barrack Obama... Preferably on the same table so I can be challenged to fuse both cultures!

Nice one!!! lool..they'll definitely make a good pair..

12) what's your opinion about the Nigerian mentality/idealiogy that 'women are made for the kitchen' and men are not?

It’s quite sexist and wrong to say that really. I’m not going to say men are better cooks. I feel its just down to the individual really. We are in the 21st century where women are playing roles played by men alone in the past and vice versa. I believe its all about the individuals these days not about the gender anymore.


13) Being that you are known to be Nigeria's finest food stylist, how do you handle the numerous attention from women?

It hasn't been easy to be honest. Its not everyday a lady meets a guy who's handsome and can cook so well. I just try to stay decent and concentrate on my work. I do realize that if it wasn't for mainly God and how good I am at what I do, I'd probably not have the attention I get today.

14) what are the challenges you've faced while trying to achieve your dreams of having cookie jar on the high streets in cities around?

Well when it comes to high street retail or retail itself, its all about location, location and location. Finding the right place to set up a shop isn't easy. It needs to first be prime and then has to be at a good price so you're not just working for the landlord or landlady. Then there's the hassle of renovation and dealing with the Nigerian factor. Contractors who'll promise to deliver in 2 days but don't even deliver in a week and so on.
Honestly, a lot of people see the glory which is the finished work but very few get to know the story.

15) what would you say is your best inherited asset?

Wow! Maybe its my face. I've had a lot of compliments about it and the fact that's its camera ready 24/7. Trust me I hear that from almost every photographer, producer and director I've worked with.


16) A description of your ideal woman and would you mind marrying one who cannot cook?

I'd like a lady with some meat. When I say 'meat' I mean healthy looking. She's got to be smart, ambitious, God fearing, humble and polite. I really don't mind so much if she knows how to cook or not. I can always teach her and we can always have fun in the kitchen.


17) So far, how would you Say Cookie jar has turned out and What dreams do you have for it in the near future?

I thank God for Cookie Jar’s success so far. Its bigger than what I expected. We have a store on 20 admiralty way, Lekki phase 1. We have a head office at 9 Otunba Adedoyin Ogunbe also in Lekki phase 1 too. Demand for our products like Cupcakes, cakes, confectioneries, macaroons and so on have been really high. Our popularity has grown tremendously. To be honest its all good but not great. Cookie jar’s present status is not upto 10% of what I plan for it to be. I don’t feel we have even gotten to the next level. Some might be surprised and confused with what I’m saying. I’m saying this in comparison to what my dream for Cookiejar is. I’m thinking of a company that’s going to be a global organization. I’m dreaming of a starbucks/Cadbury but Nigerian owned. A company that will be a pride to all Nigerians. A company that will and can compete with already existing global brands and exist beyond my time. I don’t just want to be one to have just created and ran a company, I want CookieJar to be a legacy.

Thank you very much Chef Eros, Indeed it was nice having you on board today and on behalf of sophsinspirations.blogspot.com, we wish you the very best on fulfilling your dreams of making Cookie jar a legacy. 

Until next time guys,

Enjoy the rest of your week.

ON LIFE AND A YOGA POSE!!!!

While yoga is a pretty popular activity nowadays, truth is, there are still loads of misconceptions about it. Some people think its a religion, while others think it is an activity only practised by Vegitarians.Wana know what I think? I think life is just like a yoga pose!!...say cheese baby! *snap*:D

The beauty of a yoga pose is the 'moment' in which the pose is made. The moment when you experience a connection with your true and inner self, the moment when you are so absorbed in your practise that nothing else really matters, the moment when the heart is being present with mindfulness and equanimity, the moment when you are in a state of fluidity and flexibility of the body and mind such that you can handle the inevitable physical and mental stresses and strains that arise in your life,...

Every moment of your life is just a different yoga pose. Some poses will shape you, some will break you, some will hurt you, some will strengthen you, some will fix you, some will stretch you, some will change you, some will heal you and some will challenge you. But in all these, you must find and strike the right pose that works for you and would give you the perfect picture.

 " change your style,...another one,.....another one,....be like that....be like that"...that song sound familiar? lol I know my Nigerian fellas can relate.

Change is the basis for all poses. Weather you are prepared for change or not, it'll still come. And even if you dont change, things around you will. One thing we ougth to know is that every change brings with itself, an opportunity, and it is how we are positioned at this time of change that determines wether it'll be to our advantage or disadvsntage.

Developing the right attitude is key. Your attitude is the perception of the world around you and how you react to the world around you. The right attitude makes us see situations and circumstances around us differently. The right attitude makes you see things from a positive point of view, such that, you can see the light even before the end of the tunnel.

What are the things you need to learn, unlearn or relearn? What are the things that have kept you from seeing the positive side of things? Its time to change your style,..another one,..another one then be like that...just when youve gotten the right pose for the perfect picture. And when the journey gets though, dont forget that life is a yoga pose..so just breathe!..trust me, nothing is as scary as you think. ;-).

INSPIRATIONS FROM THE BOX OF CLOTHES!!!

The topic was titled "discovering and utilizing your potential". I had never given a sermon before so I was a bit skeptical when I was asked by one of my favorite teachers from high school, who also happens to be a fellow blog reader, to give the sermon to the youths the following Sunday. I was particularly reluctant especially because I felt unworthy of the task and most importantly, lacked the inspiration I needed to deliver the sermon.

On the eve before the Sermon, I brought down my box of clothes to try on some new
clothes like I always do for different occasions and then, I found the right inspiration I needed for my speech. Let me tell you how.

I have some beautiful outfits I’ve bought on few occasions. Lovely dresses, red carpet ready, dinner party ready, classy chic ready, posh wedding ready, although I’m not so much of a social human whose social light bulb glows so bright, I still bought lovely party/outing dresses, not knowing where to wear them to, but all the same, hoping I could add value to the beauty of the dresses on special occasions some day. 

Each time there was a wedding or an occasion, I would bring them out and try them on and look in the mirror thinking how pretty they look on me and then I tell myself, “I can’t waste this outfit for this wedding” or “why should I wear this really beautiful dress to church, it should shine at a big occasion” and it goes right back into the box.

Now it so happens that I'm not the only one with this mentality. My mum also shares that with me and I'm sure a couple of other people too. But in my mum's case, its pretty sad because most times, she ends up not wearing some of those 'lovely' dresses due to her frequent increase and decrease in size living me prone to the justification of them, being her dearest next of kin.

lesson learned?
Rock it while you can. 

This applies to our potentials/gifts/talents. We Save them for the special occasions. We don’t think its good enough for any of the occasions when we are given an opportunity to show the world just what special trait lies in us forgetting that the world could be just one person, your church or your family. It doesn’t matter. Sometimes we look around at our friends and think how blessed they are because they've got all these talents of dancing singing and even acting so well. Then we’re quick to condemn ourselves, and move further down in our safe box thinking what we have can’t face the world.

What are you hiding in the safe box of your life? What have you locked up? The fact that you love to cook, or you sing really well in your room? Or how well you dance behind closed doors?  I have learnt that there’ll never be a right time to invest your one talent. Put it out there and sing, even if no one hears you… sing even if only one person applauds you. Someday, the Master is going to ride in and ask you… 'what did you do with that special dress I gave you? What will you say? Will you tell him, there just never seemed to be a right time or special occasion to display it, with all that talent He gave the others, so you kept it in your safe box? Like the man with the one talent in the bible?

NOW is the special occasion to rock those dresses. The time to shine is now! Look beautiful for church, shine bright for that wedding, even if the guest consist of mostly old people from the village, Shine even to an audience of one, shine at every chance you get. Shine to the grocery store, shine to work, shine when you head out for ice cream, every moment is a special occasion worth shinning for. You never know who might be watching *wink*. Dont hide up those beautiful dresses waiting for the right time and eventually grow out of them. Dont hide up that beautiful gift and eventually take it to the grave. Its time to discover and utilize those potentials or end up contributing to the wealth of the grave. Like my favorite preacher, late Myles Munroe once said "the richest place on earth remains the grave yard because burried there, are songs that were never sang, books that were never written, words that were never said, ideas that were never shared", and in this context, dresses that were never worn.

Dont hide your treasures within you that you end up missing out on the blessings that come with them.

Rock it while you can!

Enjoy the rest of your week.

APPRECIATING ME!!!!!

But first, let me take a selfie..:D

I have a behavior that contradicts my belief sometimes. It doesn't mean I don’t believe! If there was a book of Sophie in the bible, it would be such a messed up controversial story, a 'not so pretty' picture I guess. But in all that mess, you’d see a beauty that shines through, the beauty of grace glittering so bright, you almost can’t stare it in the face.

The pieces of my brokenness and struggles, the pieces of pain and tears, the pieces from every fall makes a beautiful rainbow of colors, my perfect imperfections are perfectly beautiful, because in all these… my feet are off the floor and I rest in the arms of Love.

Grace is my warmth, love is my cover… grace met me where I was and refused to leave me where it found me. Grace is taking me on a journey, I’m not there yet, but we’re so far away from where I was. It’s been such a road trip of self-discovery, different from the lens of the world, under the lens of grace.

There’s so much ugliness spewed about… that’s life. But even in your struggles and uncertainties, there’s beauty all around… like the deep breath you take… that’s a story of beauty and hope. 

Beauty always shines through, beauty always lives… beauty never leaves, it’s right there, in the midst of it all. Find the beauty in you and let it shine through the pain. 

Thankful for life.

3 LESSONS FROM LAST MONTH!!!

As late as usual,

Happy new month folks. Just a short post here.

There are so many beautiful reasons to be happy; but one of the strongest reason is; "staying happy for no reason." When we attach our happiness to different reasons, we are sure to feel sad and worried, when changes occur in our lives.

Every month to me is like a new opportunity- to do what you could not do in the last month; and to be a 'new' you- with good personal care and personal growth. And yes I havnt forgotten my monthly challenge review for the month of may. That would be coming up real soon but for now, I'd love to share a few life lessons I gathered from the month of may.

Quite a lot of things happend in the month of May, some of which left me happy and some of which made me sad but every experience gave me a good amount of wisdom.
                                                           
You can make a big difference with even very little. -  There is very little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative. Most people express the negative but maintaining a positive attitude through out last month, even when faced with negative attitudes from clients resulted in a huge positive result from me.

Be mindful of your emotions. Always check the facts and logic, and don’t let your emotions rule you. Some time last month, I almost ruined a friendship I cherished so much because I couldn't get a hold of my emotions but I'm glad I dint because I'd have probably lived with the guilt for ever.

Always have a plan B. Never get too comfortable at a particular position. Life could be full of surprises, some positive, some negative. A friend of mine who'd been working for his company, probably one of the best employees, all of a sudden showed up at work only to receive his sack letter for reasons best known to the company. Luckily for him, he had a side business to fall back on whilst still searching for a better job.

Life is a journey and we keep learning and growing everyday. I'm definitely looking forward to more lessons in this month of June.  Well I guess I have one already; Always try getting your posts up early so you don't end up wishing people a happy new month towards the end of the month lol.

Have a blessed week guys.