We’ll brand Nigeria as global culinary powerhouse — Modupeola Olumegbon Kalejaiye, accountant turned gourmet caterer

A princess of the Olumegbon royal household of Lagos, Modupeola Olumegbon Kalejaye launched her nonrecreational vocation astatine 1 of the truthful called Big 4 consulting firms, Ernst & Young, wherever she honed her skills arsenic an auditor. But acold from getting drowned successful the spreadsheets, she launched a poesy postulation successful 2019 which was adopted and approved by the Lagos State Educational and Examination Board. Not 1 to remainder connected her oars, her entrepreneurial travel proves arsenic vibrant. As the Founder and Chief Executive of Modupe’s Kitchen, she has reimagined African continental cuisine and exotic tropical desserts with flair and authenticity. What began arsenic a culinary passionateness soon blossomed into a marque ecosystem, giving commencement to 2 thriving ventures that bespeak her content successful creativity arsenic a instrumentality for economical empowerment. For Modupeola, entrepreneurship isn’t conscionable astir profit, it’s astir purpose, legacy, and creating morganatic avenues for sustainable income successful a changing world.

As a caller Ernst&Young accountant, Modupe took sandwiches and ofada atom to the bureau to sell. Eventually, her manager encouraged her to spell each in, a portion of proposal that she took to heart. “She said, you are making much wealth from your catering than from your salary, wherefore not conscionable spell successful fully? I thought of it arsenic precise bully proposal and I resigned and started my business”. As the marque grew, truthful did the imaginativeness and her merchandise lines. She was conscionable 24 erstwhile she plunged caput archetypal into the sticky satellite of concern conscionable a fewer years ago, astatine an property erstwhile astir radical are inactive figuring themselves out.

“Honestly, I didn’t person a expansive program either. What I did person was clarity. I knew my passion, and I knew my purpose. I didn’t conscionable privation to cook; I wanted to make experiences. Food, to me, is much than nourishment; it’s art, it’s culture, it’s memory. It’s however we celebrate, however we connect. I wanted to physique thing that reflected each of that. “I enrolled successful catering schoolhouse successful 2012, conscionable earlier starting assemblage and person steadily honed my culinary skills ever since. Creativity has ever travel people to me, and I’ve seamlessly woven that passionateness into the bosom of my business. “Growing up, I was surrounded by flavors and stories. My gramps was a tailor, and watching him stitch dreams into cloth near a heavy content connected me. He didn’t conscionable marque clothes, helium made radical consciousness seen. That’s what I wanted to bash with food. So I started small. A fewer orders present and there.

And slowly, Modupe’s Kitchen was calved not conscionable arsenic a business, but arsenic a movement. Modupe’s Kitchen began arsenic a full-service culinary marque offering each types of meals and pastries for indoor and outdoor celebrations, idiosyncratic oregon corporate. From accepted Nigerian dishes to continental favorites, we became known for flavor, flair, and unforgettable presentation. “As the marque grew, truthful did my vision. From Modupe’s Kitchen came our desserts arm, a saccharine sanctuary for crystal cream, cookies, parfaits, and indulgent treats. Then came the cakes arm, wherever we trade bespoke cakes for each occasion, weddings, birthdays, intimate milestones. Each marque was calved from the aforesaid heartbeat: to marque each solemnisation unforgettable”. Her doctrine is simple, she tells Vanguard. Create with purpose, service with excellence and turn with integrity. “Business, for me, isn’t conscionable astir nett margins but astir impact. I judge successful gathering brands that lick problems, spark joy, acceptable standards, and elevate others. Whether it’s a savory meal, a decadent dessert oregon a luxury cake, everything we nutrient indispensable beryllium intentional, innovative, and inspiring. It indispensable transportation a story, a standard, and a soul.

“I besides judge innovation is simply a duty. If you’re not evolving, y o u ’ r e dissolving. That’s wherefore I’ve pioneered products similar crystal pick popsicles and gourmet gummy bears, the archetypal of their benignant successful Nigeria. I don’t travel trends; I acceptable them. And yes, my gramps ’s tailoring concern shaped me. He taught maine that entrepreneurship is astir craft, character, and community. He didn’t conscionable tally a factory, helium built relationships. That’s the benignant of bequest I privation to build, adjacent more”. Running an innovative business, according to Modupeola, has been thing abbreviated of a rollercoaster, adjacent parts thrilling and humbling. “Being a young pistillate successful concern successful Nigeria comes with its ain acceptable of challenges.

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