Steered towards impacting and supporting talents with the interest of being restaurant owners; Leaders in global payment and multinational financial services corporation Mastercard in partnership with Nigeria’s premier discovery platform, Lost in a City presents a new initiative The Kitchen, which is set to empower aspiring restaurateurs.
Nigeria’s dining out culture has grown tremendously over the past few years. As more restaurants begin to open, we are beginning to see a trend in entrepreneurs rising to the challenge. Whether you are a chef or have experience in hospitality, or want to realise your passion, you can apply to be a contender for The Kitchen. The project is targeted at giving a platform to individuals with an interest in owning restaurants and equally have what it takes to create and operate a successful business, and it is scheduled for September 2021. The competition will host a pool of emerging talents across the country.
Throughout September, four contestants will prove to their customers that they have what it takes to open a successful restaurant outlet. The challenge will be to create their own pop-up stands over 3 nights, to see who will become the next top restaurateur in Nigeria. The winner will be selected based on the display of the 3 Pillars a successful restaurant is measured by i.e., food, ambiance and service.
The project will kick-start with Six semi-finalists that will be expected to show their cooking abilities. If the contestant is not a chef, the chef he/she is partnering with will be expected to cook.
Each contestant will be expected to cook one of their three courses for the judges. They will be told in advance which course they will be expected to cook, and four of the six will be chosen to continue to the Pop-Up round.
The winner will get N2 million Naira to put towards their dream of becoming a restaurateur.
Judges on The Kitchen Nigeria include; Founder & CEO Lost in a City- Tannaz Bahnam, Marketing Director Mastercard- Ifeoma Dozie, CEO of Chef Eros & Co.- Chef Eros, Founder of Olisa TV and Perception Media– Olisa Adibua, and Founder and Executive Chef at HSE Gourmet, Nkesi Enyioha.
Interested participants can apply for the competition: https://www.thekitchen.ng/apply
