Meet Chisom Amadi of ChiChiJazzyKitchen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chisom Amadi.

Hi Chisom, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Besides being a chef, I am also a foodie! I have an immense appreciation for good food, granted I was extremely selective about what I ate as a child. As an adult, I realized that I was only picky because I looked for flavor in everything I ate! My passion for cooking started at eight years old when I finally managed to convince my mother to teach me how to make my favorite soup at the time which was Okra soup. I was thrilled!

I remember energetically jumping all around the kitchen and smiling from ear to ear. She walked me through the process, while I did most of the blending, seasoning, stirring, and tasting. I was flabbergasted at how the okra soup turned out. The soup was very tasty and I remember saying to myself “wow, I am good at this”. Growing up in a Nigerian household, our holidays are known to be celebrated with an enormous amount of food. I took the responsibility of making the main courses, especially my famous smokey jollof rice.

When I got to college, I hosted dinner parties almost every other weekend. I cooked for my colleagues at work, bosses, and some professors. I started my food business, Chichijazzykitchen, in 2018. Although I had a full-time job at the time working in the health care field, I was also catering for several events such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

In 2020 during the beginning of the pandemic when restaurants and food businesses were heavily affected due to social distancing. I created a platform where our customers can order beef suya from any part of the country and have it delivered to their doorstep. I took a leap of faith and pursued my passion full time in 2021 and it has been an incredible journey.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Some of the struggles I would say that I have faced as a business owner are balancing business and family life.

I am married with two beautiful children, and sometimes creating that quality time where we can all hang out as a family, especially on the weekends can be quite tough as cooking can be very time-consuming.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Chichijazzykitchen is a Nigerian catering cuisine. We host small and large events and also meal prep for our vegetarian and vegan customers.

Our main dishes are Jollof rice, Chicken and Beef suya, Fish suya (benzino), and Tuscan Salmon. Our side dishes include Purple cabbage, plantains, and sweet mashed potatoes. We also make a variety of soups such as okra, egusi, and vegetable soup.

In Chichijazzykitchen, we handmake our suya spice, to ensure that our customers are getting the authentic suya taste you would get in Nigeria. Beef Suya is a popular Nigerian shish kebab that is prevalently consumed in West Africa. This dish is achieved from small slices of tender beef coated with yaji (suya spice).

What sets suya apart from other shish kebabs is the peanut-based yaji suya spice that also has a blend of crushed red pepper flakes, ginger, and onion powder. I take pride in my brand because we represent fine quality flavorful food made with love!

All of our dishes are carefully cooked from scratch with fresh ingredients, vegetables, herbs, and spices!

What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I have learned along the way is to never lose focus on perfecting my skills and take all criticisms constructively.

Contact Info:

• Email: chichijazzykitchen@gmail.com
• Website: chichijazzykitchen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chichijazzykitchen/

Image Credits
Sypherstudio