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How They Are Turning Nigerian Food Into BIG Business
The Men & Women Turning Nigerian Food Into Big Business, Entertainment & Global Culture Nigeria’s food industry has entered an exciting new era. Cooking is no longer confined to the kitchen. Today, Nigerian chefs are becoming celebrities, entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, television personalities, social-media influencers and ambassadors of Nigerian cuisine.
From Lagos to Abuja and beyond, a new generation of culinary stars is redefining what it means to be a Nigerian chef.
Some have built successful restaurants. Others have become household names through television and social media. Some have taken Nigerian dishes to international audiences, while others are preserving traditional recipes and giving them a modern presentation.
Here are 20 celebrity chefs and culinary personalities making waves in Nigeria and beyond.
- HILDA BACI
Few Nigerian chefs have generated as much international attention as Hilda Baci.
She shot to global prominence in 2023 with her 93-hour, 11-minute cooking marathon in Lagos. Although that record was later surpassed, the achievement transformed her into one of Nigeria’s best-known culinary personalities.
She subsequently achieved further Guinness World Records recognition for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice and the largest serving of rice overall.
In June 2026, Guinness World Records named her a GWR Icon, recognising the broader cultural impact of her achievements.
Her food brand, My Food by Hilda, is also part of her expanding culinary business.
- CHEF FREGZ — GBUBEMI FREGENE
Chef Fregz, born Gbubemi Fregene, is one of Nigeria’s most recognisable modern chefs.
Known for his stylish presentation, food entertainment and Afro-modern culinary approach, he has become a familiar face among Nigeria’s food lovers and lifestyle audiences.
He has worked across restaurants, events, private dining and media, establishing himself as one of the chefs helping to make professional cooking more fashionable among young Nigerians.
His name is also frequently associated with contemporary Nigerian gastronomy and culinary entertainment.
- CHEF TIYAN ALILE
Chef Tiyan Alile has played an important role in professional culinary education in Nigeria.
She is the founder of a culinary academy in Lagos and has been involved in training aspiring chefs and developing professional culinary skills.
Her influence extends beyond simply preparing food. She represents the growing movement to make culinary education and professional standards a major part of Nigeria’s hospitality industry.
Her work has also focused on promoting Nigerian cuisine and encouraging young people to consider culinary arts as a serious profession.
- CHEF EROS — EROS & VINE
Chef Eros is another prominent name in Nigeria’s modern food scene.
He has built a reputation around sophisticated Nigerian and international cuisine, private dining and high-end culinary experiences.
His style combines food presentation with entertainment and lifestyle, making him particularly popular among Nigeria’s young, upwardly mobile food lovers.
Chef Eros has become one of the names associated with the growth of premium dining experiences in Lagos.
- CHEF IMO TEDA
Chef Imoteda has emerged as one of the younger faces of Nigeria’s culinary scene.
She combines professional cooking with food content, lifestyle and digital media, helping to bring culinary creativity to a younger audience.
Her appeal goes beyond the traditional restaurant kitchen because she understands the importance of storytelling, presentation and social media in building a modern food brand.
- CHEF SALAMAT
Chef Salamat is another name increasingly associated with Nigeria’s contemporary food and hospitality scene.
Her work reflects the growing visibility of female chefs who are combining cooking with entrepreneurship, catering and personal branding.
She represents the new generation of culinary entrepreneurs building businesses around food rather than simply working behind the scenes.
- CHEF TOYIN
Chef Toyin has become part of the expanding community of Nigerian chefs using social media to showcase cooking, recipes and food presentation.
Like many modern Nigerian culinary personalities, her brand extends beyond the kitchen, combining food content with lifestyle and entertainment.
The rise of chefs like her demonstrates how Instagram, TikTok and YouTube have changed the way Nigerian food personalities build audiences.
- CHEF DAMMY
Chef Dammy became widely known after her own cooking marathon attracted major public attention.
Her journey reflected the extraordinary popularity of cooking challenges in Nigeria following Hilda Baci’s record-breaking feat.
The attention around her cooking attempt showed just how powerful the combination of food, social media and entertainment had become in Nigeria.
- CHEF CHINNY
Chef Chinny is part of Nigeria’s growing generation of food creators who have turned culinary skills into digital content.
Through recipes, cooking demonstrations and food-related content, she has connected with audiences who increasingly learn and discover Nigerian dishes online.
Her emergence reflects the changing relationship between chefs and their audiences.
- SISI YEMMIE
Sisi Yemmie is much more than a food blogger.
She has built a strong personal brand around Nigerian food, family life, recipes, cooking and lifestyle.
Through her digital platforms, she has introduced Nigerian recipes and everyday cooking ideas to a broad online audience.
Her success demonstrates how food content can develop into a wider lifestyle brand.
- CHEF ZEELICIOUS
Chef Zeelicious has become popular among Nigerians who enjoy watching food preparation online.
Her content combines attractive food presentation with accessible recipes and cooking ideas.
She belongs to a generation of digital-first chefs who do not necessarily need a conventional television programme to build a large audience.
- CHEF MARY
Chef Mary represents another important development in Nigeria’s food industry — the rise of independent female culinary entrepreneurs.
Through food preparation, catering and digital visibility, she has built recognition among food lovers.
Her story mirrors the increasing number of Nigerian women turning culinary talent into businesses.
- CHEF DAMMY’S COOKING CHALLENGE GENERATION
The popularity of Nigerian cook-a-thons has created an entirely new category of food celebrity.
After Hilda Baci’s 2023 achievement, Guinness World Records said the attempt sparked a major increase in record applications from Nigeria, receiving more than 1,500 applications within two months.
That phenomenon brought several previously unknown cooks into national attention.
The wider impact has therefore been bigger than individual records: it has helped turn cooking itself into entertainment.
- CHEF VICTORIA
Chef Victoria is among the younger culinary personalities building visibility through food content and hospitality.
Her generation understands that today’s chef must also understand branding, photography, social media and audience engagement.
That combination is increasingly important in Nigeria’s competitive food industry.
- CHEF DAMI
Chef Dami is another emerging culinary personality benefiting from the explosion of food content across Nigerian social media.
Her appeal lies in making cooking entertaining and accessible, particularly to younger audiences.
The new generation of chefs increasingly operates at the intersection of food, entertainment and digital media.
- CHEF AJOKE
Chef Ajoke represents the growing number of Nigerian culinary entrepreneurs using traditional Nigerian recipes as the foundation for modern food businesses.
From local delicacies to contemporary presentation, chefs like Ajoke are helping to preserve Nigerian food culture while adapting it for modern consumers.
- CHEF RONKE
Chef Ronke is part of the vibrant community of Nigerian food entrepreneurs combining catering, events and online food content.
Her work reflects the expanding market for professionally prepared Nigerian meals at private parties, corporate events and social gatherings.
- CHEF NANA
Chef Nana belongs to the emerging generation of Nigerian chefs who have embraced social media as an important part of culinary business.
Food photography, recipe videos and cooking tutorials have become powerful tools for chefs seeking to build personal brands.
- CHEF TOLANI
Chef Tolani represents the younger generation of Nigerian culinary entrepreneurs experimenting with recipes, presentation and food content.
The new generation is increasingly interested in giving traditional Nigerian dishes a contemporary identity while retaining their cultural roots.
- CHEF OLUWATOBI
Chef Oluwatobi is among the rising names in Nigeria’s increasingly competitive culinary and hospitality space.
Like many young chefs, the journey is no longer simply about working in a restaurant kitchen.
Today’s culinary entrepreneur has to understand branding, social media, customer experience, photography, events and business management.
THE NEW NIGERIAN CHEF
What makes today’s Nigerian chef different?
For decades, chefs were largely people who worked behind the scenes.
Today, the chef can also be the brand ambassador, television personality, influencer, restaurant owner, cookbook author and entrepreneur.
Social media has completely changed the industry.
A chef can cook a meal in a Lagos kitchen in the morning and have millions of people watching the video by evening.
Hilda Baci’s extraordinary rise demonstrates just how powerful this new model can become. Guinness World Records described the impact of her 2023 cook-a-thon as extending beyond Nigeria, noting that it inspired a surge of record attempts across Africa.
FOOD IS NOW BIG BUSINESS
Nigeria’s culinary industry is also becoming increasingly commercial.
Chefs are launching restaurants, catering companies, food products, cooking academies, online courses and television programmes.
There is also growing interest in taking Nigerian cuisine to international audiences.
Hilda Baci, for instance, has spoken about plans to expand her food brand internationally, including to the UK, US, Dubai and South Africa.
THE WOMEN TAKING OVER THE KITCHEN
One striking feature of Nigeria’s current culinary boom is the prominence of women.
Hilda Baci is the most visible example, but she is part of a much larger movement involving female chefs, food bloggers, caterers and restaurant entrepreneurs.
These women are changing the perception of cooking from a domestic activity into a professional career and major commercial opportunity.
THE FUTURE OF NIGERIAN CUISINE
The future looks increasingly digital.
The next generation of Nigerian chefs will not only compete through taste.
They will compete through:
Presentation.
Innovation.
Social media.
Restaurant experience.
Personal branding.
International exposure.
And most importantly, their ability to tell the story of Nigerian food.
As Nigerian cuisine attracts increasing international attention, the country’s celebrity chefs are becoming some of its most visible culinary ambassadors.
The kitchen is no longer just where food is prepared.
For these chefs, it is where brands, businesses, careers and cultural movements are being created.
