Omobolanle Abigail Adebayo, a caterer that considers her profession as a calling and not just a source of income is the Chief Executive Officer of Diadem Kitchen. She is an advocate of women realizing their potentials and exploring inner strength to make a difference. In this interview with YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE, she speaks about the importance of catering in making an event a success, life as a female in a busy world, women in leadership and need to have streams of income in the present economy among other issues. Excerpts:
Are you a chef or a caterer?
I am a caterer and chef by profession; I graduated from Ripples Catering Academy and I can boldly tell you that caterers play a major role in the success or failure of any party. This is because a celebration would be incomplete without great food and drinks. And catering goes beyond food preparation and presentation; you have to know how to manage people, resources and the event in a way that guests who are late will still be catered for. Being a chef and a caterer makes you a manager because aside having to deal with people, prepare and store food, you also have to ensure safety of food before and during events, place settings and food service areas and you must be able to mange guests and workers.
How capital intensive is it to set up a catering business?
Catering is an expensive venture but the beauty of the profession is that few people start out big. When you first start a catering business, it won’t cost you much but as you keep growing and developing, it will cost you more because you must start buying more kitchen equipments and also make budget to pay your workers. There is a stage you get to that you can’t start running around to borrow equipment every time you get orders, that won’t work.
Is it really a woman’s job?
Catering is not a job for women alone, it is a career path for both men and women but the truth is that it is a job more suitable for women because women are more knowledgeable and have more experience when it comes to cooking and managing cooking events.
Has the current economic situation affected catering business?
Of course, like every other entrepreneur, caterers are going through a lot presently. The cost of items is rising daily; which means that often, after you give quotation, you find out that the money you collect can’t buy all that you need. The inflation in the prices of ingredients is affecting the catering business adversely.
How easy is it to run a catering firm especially when you have little children?
It is not easy to run a catering business when you have small children; it is quite tasking because you may have to be on the move and away from home. It is challenging to run a catering business with children especially from the age seven downwards but when you have good assistants and good workers, it will make your job easier.
Will you say the Nigerian society is fair to women?
I will say that African culture as a whole has done women bad. The Nigerian culture has in the past tried to silence women and class them as those that should be seen and not heard. But those days are gone. Women today are rising up and taking their seats at the table. So as at today, I don’t think I can say the society is being unfair to women. There are actually many opportunities for women now than in the past. I will also say that we have to work to forge our path, hard work and commitment cannot be overlooked; we need to stand up and take our rightful places.
Do you think there’s a restriction on women in the professional circle in Nigeria?
I do not think so. I think we have come of age in Nigeria; especially southern Nigeria and women practically can do whatever they set their hearts to. I also believe that many companies have openings for women and are intentionally making the workplace more attractive for young mothers and women. I believe that most of the restrictions women perceive are in their minds. What I think we need now is reorientation and a change of mindset, it is no longer the time to imagine obstacles but move on to overcome them.
What are the challenges you face?
There are many challenges to catering but there is no profession without challenges or occupational hazards. When you talk of accidents while cooking, challenge in getting good produce, workers that want to play smart especially when you have large orders which can be very stressful if you don’t have good and reliable workers and enough cooking equipments because your services may not be delivered on time and so many.
Also, you are responsible for the mistake of everyone on your team and client satisfaction. You must know more about food than running a catering business because as the head, you need to handle the challenges of making big decisions too. They need the financial skill to pick competitive prices, negotiable deals and balance the budget as well as knowing how to market and advertise the business may be part of the challenges if you don’t stay grounded and update your skills.
Lastly, I would like to say that you may receive some insults from clients especially when you deliver your services late but take it as a encouragement to try better next time.
Many people have some negative ideas about caterers, are these negative views justified?
I know that some people have negative ideas about caterers and it is actually justifiable. For instance, a caterer can be unfaithful in such a way that some caterers when given order of 500 guests will produce 450 instead. Some bad eggs are the reason people don’t trust caterers.
Can women be good leaders?
Women have been blessed naturally with good leadership abilities; they can multi task, show empathy and be strict when needed. The world would be a better place if humans had more empathy. I believe that we would do a much better job at it too. Women can be good leaders because they have what it takes. We only need to channel our inner strength and move beyond seeing the challenges and excuses.
What are your thoughts on women having streams of income?
Honestly, women having streams of income can be very tiring sometimes, especially when you have little kids at home but if you know that you are capable then go for it. Let me however add that in this age and time, survival may depend on the number of avenues you get income from.
READ ALSO: #EndBadGovernance protests: Flying of Russian flag, calls for military coup treasonable — Police
and then