Full names: Ifeyinwa and Emeka Frederick
Role: Co-founders, Chukus
DOB: 19/04/1992, 16/05/1990
Birthplace: In the same house but different rooms
Twitter Handle: @chukusldn
Website: www.chukuslondon.co.uk
Fun Fact: Ifeyinwa once auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent and Emeka once climbed a live volcano.
J: Let’s start at the beginning. It’s you and your brother running this thing, right? Did you always know that running a food business was on the cards? Do you guys come from a foodie family? Could you give us a little backstory on your journey up to today? Did it take a lot of trial and error on the development of the menu, was there a lot of discussion?
EF – Alongside being a stand up comedian, when I was a little boy I had wanted to be a chef – the next Ainsley Harriet – but in truth I don’t think either us imagined we’d end up in the food industry. Food plays a big part in our culture and there’s never a social gathering without but I wouldn’t have said we came from a foodie family.
IF – The idea of doing a Nigerian restaurant came from a long-standing discussion in our family home. Growing up together in a Nigerian household, our family always struggled to find a place to enjoy Nigerian food outside of the house. And yet when our friends came over to try our food or curiously sampled the jollof rice in our lunchboxes they always loved it. And year after year we found ourselves asking the same question – if the food tastes so good, why, given the diversity of London’s food scene, is there not a thriving set of Nigerian restaurants on the high streets?
Emeka and I decided that it was time we shared the foods of our heritage that we know and love. The question was just ‘how’? We knew that most people didn’t have any familiarity with Nigerian cuisine, and that this uncertainty about what to expect was proving off-putting. So with Chuku’s we chose to combine authentic Nigerian flavours with the more familiar serving style of tapas to help overcome this barrier. Creating the “chop, chat, chill” experience.
EF – So ‘chop’ is actually Nigerian slang for ‘eat’ and shows Nigerian food is at the heart of what we do. As I mentioned, there’s no family gathering without food, so ‘chat’ is for the continuation of our family’s social dining tradition where the tapas serving style facilitates sharing and socialising. And the ‘chill’ comes from our use of Nigerian culture to help create a place where our guests feel at home – think Nigerian chill-out beats, books by Nigerian authors, even Lagos Monopoly.
IF – Unsure if our Nigerian tapas idea would actually work we decided to hold a pop-up to test it in August 2015. And a year and a bit later we’re still going with our pop-ups so clearly it does work!
EF – On the menu front, there was and still is a lot of trial and error. Recipe testing days are always fun and games. But even when you’ve nailed a recipe, it still needs to pass the final litmus test – the guest. And unfortunately, the only way of us really knowing if a dish worked was by putting it on that first menu. We’ve since changed a lot of dishes on the original menu and we are constantly updating our menu to reflect the preferences of our guests.
The name – who or what is ‘Chuku’?
EF – The name comes from my full name Chukwuemeka which means ‘God has done well’ in Igbo. We named the lounge Chuku’s as we wanted guests to feel they were entering into a home, a place owned by a real person. It’s for this that homely elements such as books, cushions and family photos can be found at each of our pop-ups. We want them to feel that comfortable.
What’s a typical ‘day in your work life’ like?
IF – Ha! I’ll tell you when we have one. It really does depend which is the great thing about it. Normally some mix of emails, social media, follow-up calls with new connections, Excel models and workshops (I’m always learning!) These days we’re also spending a lot of our time visiting other restaurants and doing location visits as we start to make plans for our own permanent site.
What’s your greatest/most memorable professional moment been, so far?
EF – Meeting Team GB’s former Olympic World Champion Christine Ohuruogu. She just turned up out of the blue one night at our lounge. I was in the kitchen, so none the wiser until Ifey popped in to let me know. She was so humble and even got excited to see her name up on our Hall of Fame of prominent British-Nigerians. Serving her was a true honour.
IF – Being featured in Elle magazine in their list of female entrepreneurs under 30 who are “bossing life”. For me, it was less about having my face in such a well-known magazine and more that Nigerian cuisine was being represented in such a well-known magazine.
Where do you get your ideas?
EF – There’s inspiration everywhere. We see things online, we read a lot and, even though we do less so now, we both love travelling – it keeps our minds fresh and open to exploring. As you never know what or who is going to inspire you, mindfully observing the world and actively listening to people is really important. There’s only so much that us two will ever know, so sharing our journey with others and crowdsourcing ideas is a technique we often use. Our mum is a great sounding board.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had, how did you overcome it, and what did you learn from it?
EF – One of our biggest challenges still is staffing. We run a lean team so if someone all of a sudden falls ill or can no longer make their shift, it can really impact on the whole operation. But what I’ve learnt is that things will always work out and if nobody has died there’s no need to stress. We’ve had a number of last minute staff cancellations but we’ve always been over to overcome it with the support from our friends and family who have been happy to play chef or waitress for the day.
Who’s the person who’s most inspired you in your work – food industry or otherwise? Is there anyone that you draw inspiration or strength from? Do you have any specific culinary influences?
IF – My family. My parents’ dogged determination means that whenever they’ve set their hearts on something they will see it through to the end. They may face setbacks along the way but they don’t let that faze them for long. It’s a tenacity that I see in my siblings too and it really helps to re-motivate me after a difficult week.
EF- My dad. It’s he that I learnt my ‘It’s all in a state of mind’ philosophy from. Over the years I have become more and more like him, and I’m proud to say that. In business and as a man full stop, he’s a role model. He never shirks his responsibility. He set the bar for me and I plan to reach it, then accelerate past it.
What advice would you give to aspiring chefs and food entrepreneurs who’d want the kind of results that you’ve had?
EF – Just get started. Take your product and get it out there. Create, test, then iterate. I talk a lot about MVP (minimum viable product) as Chuku’s started with me doing a few dinner parties with my unsuspecting mates, testing out recipes and seeing what went down well. That feedback informed the first Chuku’s menu and the feedback from every pop-up informs the menu for the next one.
If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing instead?
IF – Earlier this year I was actually living in France but I reckon by now I would have left and I’d be working in Spain and trying to learn Spanish.
EF – I would be in West Africa, ideally Nigeria, working for a start-up most probably. That was what I was angling for before Chuku’s. But what I’ve realised is that I can do a lot to start retelling the African narrative from here.
If you could get anyone to try your food (fictional or real, living or dead) who would you pick and which of the foods would you like them to try? Assume that they go on to be your brand ambassador…
EF – I love these questions. Hmm…Michael Jackson. Can you imagine MJ moonwalking into the lounge in his leather jacket? That would be immense! I’d serve him our chin chin cheesecake. I could imagine him being a diva with a sweetooth. And as a brand ambassador, I’m not sure there’s any bigger. Beyoncé may get there but MJ, he was the king.
What’s your ultimate aim and goal for Chuku’s? If you could achieve anything with it, what would you pick? Money and reality are no obstacle, so shoot for the moon…
IF – Our ultimate aim with Chuku’s is to see Nigerian cuisine recognised and enjoyed globally. And for those locations where a Chuku’s lounge exists we want a “cheeky Chuku’s” to be the first place people think of when they they’re looking for Nigerian food or looking to chill out with their mates.
Where next for you and the business?
EF – We’re really excited for 2017. Our plans include weekly pop-ups so everyone can chop, chat, chill more regularly and we’re also starting to think about acquiring our first home – a permanent site for Chuku’s.
IF – But before we even get in to 2017, we’re wrapping up the year with one final pop-up. On 4th December, we’ll be bringing a taste of Nigeria to Palm 2 in Clapton
And we always ask three customary ridiculous questions…
If you could swap lives for the day with any fictional character (and you’d be guaranteed to return to your life after 24 hours), who would you choose, and why?
IF – Matilda. Mainly because after watching the film, I used to spend ages staring at things trying to move them with my eyes and it never worked. It was quite upsetting so I’d like to make up for that and experience that power, just once.
EF – Do you remember Bernard’s Watch? I always wanted his magic watch. He could just stop time. I would stop my watch, get everything done before everyone else, sleep and then start the world going again.
If you had to become some kind of vegetable related superhero, which would you become, and what would you superpower be?
IF – Funnily enough in secondary school my friend and I came up with these vegetable-superhero alter egos and mine was Super Pea. Though I can’t remember my power.
EF – Broccoli man. It would kind of be like the hulk – super strong. But I’d be able to transfer my strength via an energy force to those that I touched. I would also have a cool theme tune.
If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life (assume that your metabolism becomes specially adapted and this is literally the only thing you could eat) – what food would you pick and why?
IF – My immediate thought was plantain. It’s the right amount of sweetness without making you feel sick and it’s versatile so I wouldn’t have to have the same thing every meal time. I like variety in my diet. But I could have it baked, fried, boiled. I’ve even seen plantain purée when I was living in Martinique.
EF – Ice cream. If you knew how much I love ice cream you’d understand why.
Image credits
Chuku’s Limited