10-Year-Old Culinary Star Wins N3m at Lagos Kids Cooking Contest

Kehinde Adeleye

A 10-year-old chef, Boluwatife Jaiye Gbenle, has emerged winner of a N3 million cash prize in the Lagos State Government’s culinary cooking contest, “Eko Flavours Junior.”

Boluwatife outperformed more than 200 contestants to become the Eko Flavours Junior Champion and was named Ambassador of the Lagos State Food System.

The competition was organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems in collaboration with the Culinara Group.

Oluwaseyifunmi Quassi came in second place, receiving N2 million, while James Okafor and Akinsola Oluwatobiloba tied for third place, each winning N1 million. The finals took place at the Fresh Food Hub in the Idi Oro area of Mushin, Lagos.

Other finalists, including Adelugba Semilore, Agugua Kamsi, Princess Tifeoluwani, Muhammadul Awwal Tijani, Oluwatara Semilore Marvellous, and Adewara Daystar, were also recognised with consolation prizes for their efforts.

The Eko Flavours Junior Project is a culinary initiative for children aged 10 to 13, designed to showcase young cooking talents and promote a healthy food culture.

At the event, which drew government officials, private sector sponsors, and a large audience, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, said the initiative was introduced by the Governor’s wife, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, to inspire creativity, teamwork, and pride in Nigeria’s culinary heritage.

Olusanya expressed hope that the competition would open up job opportunities and contribute to a sustainable future in the food sector, encouraging participants to view the experience as a launchpad for greater achievements in the culinary world.

She said: “It is a big win for the winners.

“Everyone here won today.

“But I think more importantly, we have achieved our aim of showcasing the culinary skills of our kids and also exposing them to the fact that there is a lot of opportunity in the food system space.

“For the winners, I believe they are going to get endorsement deals from some of our sponsors.

“They would work with us in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems as our ambassadors.

“We have a lot of events that we also need catering services for, so nothing stops them from being a part of us.

“And that is the essence of what we are doing: creating chefs, master creators, and food content creators for the future.”

Speaking about the competition, Co-CEOs of the Culinara Group, Olufunke Adu and Jennifer Odufuwa, praised all the participants for their dedication, describing them all as winners.

Adu explained that the Eko Flavours Junior competition was created to inspire young people to move beyond traditional office jobs and embrace culinary and other vocational skills that can lead to success in life.

She also urged parents to instill domestic skills like cooking, cleaning, and other chores in their children from an early age, emphasizing the importance of raising responsible individuals who can contribute meaningfully to society.

Odufuwa noted that around 200 children took part in the competition. From that number, 30 participants advanced to the semi-final stage, and 10 finalists were selected to compete in the Grand Finale, where Boluwatife Jaiye Gbenle emerged as the Eko Flavours Junior Champion.

She said: “We want to encourage the children that beyond the classroom, they can take on leadership roles in terms of the skills and the things that bring family together, which is cooking.

“Cooking is one of the things that bring families together.

“We want the kids to know that they can aspire to be somebody within the food ecosystem.”

Jaiye-Gbenle, said he was excited to win the cooking competition and appreciated his mother for teaching him to cook from age nine.

He said: “I am very happy that I won the competition.

“My mother taught me how to cook.

“I want to say thank you very much to my mother for teaching me how to cook.

“I want to advise other co-contestants that did not win

“They should try again and try harder.”

Some of the participants thanked the Lagos State Government for giving them the platform to display their creative cooking skills.