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The second annual Nigeria Food Summit will take place Friday, March 21, and represents Nigeria’s largest gathering of food experts, including restaurant owners, chefs, farmers, producers, manufacturers, writers, photographers, videographers, educators, agencies, tech representatives, and government officials championing Nigerian food culture.
Nigerian chef Gbolabo Gibbs Adebakin, known simply as Chef Gibbs, is the director of events and partnerships for the Restaurants, Cafes, Bars and Clubs Association of Nigeria (RCBC) and former vice president of the Culinary Arts Practitioners Association of Nigeria (CAPA). Both experiences laid the foundation for his role as the convener of the Nigeria Food Summit.
“I will deliver an opening remark to inspire and encourage the industry to keep pushing forward,” he says. “Then, I will ensure the event runs smoothly by overseeing operations. In addition to my role, there will be remarkable speakers and activities at the summit. We’ll have panel discussions, keynote speeches, master classes and even a live farm.”
Building a Foundation on Culinary Heritage
This year’s summit focuses on “Establishing Nigeria as a Global Food Destination,” highlighting the West African country’s food industry’s often-neglected status, culinary offerings and Nigerian food culture overall.
“Despite possessing a rich history and a diverse food culture, Nigerian cuisine has frequently been overlooked or inadequately represented compared to other global cuisines,” says Gibbs.
In addition to celebrating and promoting its rich culinary heritage domestically and internationally, the summit seeks to emphasize and discuss the unique ingredients, dishes, and cooking techniques that characterize Nigerian food culture.
Chef Gibbs explained that the inaugural theme from a pre-gathering in 2024, “An Emerging Industry,” aimed to highlight and celebrate the growth of the Nigerian food industry. “We selected this theme not due to a deficiency in Nigeria’s food industry, history, or culture, but rather because Nigerian cuisine has attained recognition both locally and internationally primarily within the past four to five years.”
The culinary ambassador founded the Nigeria Food Summit because he noticed Nigeria’s frequent exclusion from global discussions. “For a long time, Nigerian food culture, stories and achievements were acknowledged separately, without a unified movement to recognize them as part of a broader narrative,” he explains. “We organized a local summit to showcase our accomplishments, explore future development, and plan for the next phase.”
Chef Gibbs attributes his culinary experience to highlighting this necessity. “As a chef, I’ve seen many gaps in the industry. I strongly wanted to address these issues, starting with informal gatherings with other chefs and peers to share our common challenges. It quickly became clear that many of us encountered similar obstacles, encouraging us to keep the dialogue going.”
Born to Cook
“I’ve been cooking for as long as I can remember,” Gibbs says. “One of my earliest memories is attending large gatherings during the holidays with my mom. My family is an extended one, and we hosted many parties. My mom ensured everything was done correctly and oversaw all the cooks.”
While in secondary school at Kings College Lagos, Chef Gibbs studied food and nutrition. “This program was both intensive and broad, addressing many fundamental elements of culinary arts. While it wasn’t a dedicated culinary school, it laid a strong foundation for my future in the field.”
His efforts paid off as he began cooking professionally for parties, dinners and small gatherings while still in school. He continued in this role after graduating in 2009. In 2013, he started professional hospitality training and secured a position as a coffee barista at Café Neo.
“Café Neo was one of Nigeria’s first coffee shops and was even featured in a CNN interview, aspiring to be the Starbucks of Africa. It was an incredible experience that opened the door to the culinary industry and fueled my passion for it.”
Chef Gibbs advanced through the ranks at Cafe Neo, going from the restaurant environment to join its parent corporation. “I transitioned into their corporate space, focusing on management training. This shift represented more than a mere change from food service to corporate; it constituted a vital learning experience in business development and management. I am grateful for that opportunity, as it has significantly influenced many of my current decisions.”
He moved from barista to chef at the corporate office, where he devised solutions for the management team. Chef Gibbs subsequently returned to hands-on roles, overseeing establishments such as Orchid Bistro and Cookie Jar, where he encountered Chef Tolu “Eros” Erogbogbo, affectionately known as “The Billionaire Chef.”
During this period, Chef Gibbs and his team established the foundation for the business’s expansion into catering and business-to-business. This remarkable growth signaled the beginning of the 2015 Nigerian Food Culture Revolution.
Enduring Traditions of Nigerian Food Culture
Chef Gibbs stands out as a self-taught chef, gaining knowledge through ambition and experience without any direct mentor. He applies traditional Nigerian cooking techniques learned in his youth.
“Food was crucial to our culture in my home,” he says. “I’m thankful we embraced local methods, which are now recognized in contemporary culinary circles as chefs reconnect with heritage. It would have been much harder without those traditional practices.”
He shares his use of traditional tools like mortars, pestles, iron pots and firewood. “Until a few years ago, I used firewood, but now I can’t because I live in a large compound and want to avoid disturbing my neighbors. I’m grateful my parents taught me these methods, including cooking with firewood and smoking food. These experiences shaped my journey as a cook and provided a unique perspective on cuisine.”
Chef Gibbs emphasizes the enduring presence of traditional techniques like smoking, fermentation and roasting in Nigerian food culture. A farm-to-table lifestyle, where families routinely cultivated their own tomatoes, peppers, vegetables, and fruits such as guava, mango, cashews, and avocado, is also deeply intertwined with the culinary heritage.
His family, for example, transformed these homegrown fruits into jams or incorporated them into bread. Baking was also integral, with resourceful methods employed to mimic ovens. “Metal pots filled with fine filtered sand from their compound were placed over a fire, conditioning them for baking cakes. These practices weren’t novelties but an organic part of our daily lives.”
Like Chinese cuisine, Nigerian cooking uses steaming methods such as bamboo steamers. “We layer pots with leaves to create a shield for steaming,” says Chef Gibbs. “Alternatively, we use plastic for the same effect. These are traditional methods we cherish, now appreciated by others.”
Fresh food is vital to Nigerian food culture, and Chef Gibbs notes the resistance to GMOs and food alternatives introduced by modernization. “We grew up eating fresh food and remain grounded in local ingredients, preserving our culinary identity,” he explains.
In 2018, Chef Gibbs won a Northeast West culinary competition organized by Unilever, receiving a life-changing cash prize. “I was able to pursue my dream of attending culinary school at Zoology, as prior, I didn’t have the funds to do so. The competition allowed me to make that dream a reality.”
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Curating the Nigeria Food Summit
Chef Gibbs notes that his experience in the culinary field introduced him to fellow Nigerian chefs who also struggled for industry recognition. “I began hosting small meetings with fellow chefs to discuss our shared challenges,” he says. “These gatherings confirmed that we faced remarkably similar struggles, and I realized the need to continue these conversations.”
In 2021, Chef Gibbs was appointed vice president of the Culinary Arts Practitioners Association of Nigeria and decided to use his platform to advance the agenda. “We hosted more events, expanding to three or four of Nigeria’s 30 states. Through these activities, we gained deeper insights into the industry’s needs and challenges. Even after my term ended, I knew the work wasn’t finished.”
In addition, he assembled a team who shared his vision for the food industry. “I emphasized that our focus extended beyond chefs to encompass the entire food value chain,” he says. “This initiative isn’t just for chefs—it’s for the entire food industry. Many people in Nigeria associate the food industry solely with chefs, which isn’t entirely misplaced. The issue is that other key players haven’t been as vocal about their work.”
He continues, “For example, a food photographer today might have transitioned from lifestyle photography due to a passion for food. Without established role models, navigating this career path is difficult. A young person aspiring to be a food photographer might struggle to find guidance. We’re working to address this visibility issue. Many talented individuals across the food value chain are achieving remarkable things in Nigeria, but their stories aren’t widely known.”
Chef Gibbs emphasizes that they established the Nigeria Food Summit to gather all key stakeholders in one venue. “We aim to include everyone from farmers and food photographers to restaurant owners, investors, service providers, and food tech entrepreneurs. We strive to acknowledge and celebrate every facet of Nigeria’s food industry. The efforts in this sector merit recognition, and we are dedicated to sharing these stories.”
The Nigeria Food Summit is a free event with ticket options. “We initially aimed to make the event free to encourage attendance,” Chef Gibbs says. “But we also wanted to ensure that it attracted the right audience – food professionals who could actively contribute to and benefit from the summit. To achieve this balance, we decided to offer two ticket options.”
The first is a premium ticket priced at 50,000 Naira or $33 USD, and the second is a standard ticket priced at 30,000 Naira or $20 USD. The main difference is that the premium ticket covers full access plus meal tickets, providing additional networking opportunities. By offering these options, we hope to create a valuable and engaging experience for food industry professionals who invest in the event and its outcomes.”
Chef Gibbs highlights the significant impact of two upcoming panels: the Veterans Panel and the Tech Panel. “The Veterans Panel promises to offer a crucial historical perspective, honoring the pioneers who shaped the Nigerian food culture industry and celebrating its current trajectory.”
He goes on, “In contrast, the Tech Panel will showcase the innovative future of the industry, featuring companies like Glovo, OPay, Mira, Sterling Bank, Salad Africa, PricePally, Awarri, and Dinesurf. These startups are revolutionizing the food sector with technological solutions in logistics, payment systems, credit services, point of sale, inventory management, procurement, and restaurant reservations designed to enhance efficiency and accessibility. I’m excited for attendees to learn about these developments and the hard work behind them.”
As for the rest of the world, Chef Gibbs points out there are three Michelin-starred Nigerian restaurants in the U.K. While this recognition is fantastic, he says it’s not enough to make Nigerian cuisine globally renowned.
“The issue isn’t with the quality of the Michelin-starred restaurants but with Nigeria’s lack of collective effort to promote our culinary culture. To address this, I contacted Cuisine Noir to share my Nigeria Food Summit project and did the podcast with Sheree. This is an example of the conscious efforts we need to make locally to balance the popularity Nigerian cuisine is receiving abroad. The Nigeria Food Summit is one such initiative to showcase our culinary heritage and make our voices heard on the global stage.”
More information about the Nigeria Food Summit is available on its website, with previews shared on Instagram. You can also follow Chef Gibbs on social media for post-event highlights and more of his work to amplify and celebrate Nigerian food culture.
