Today we’d like to introduce you to Obioma Faison.
Obioma, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
7,000 miles away, I was born and raised in Nigeria. I came to the USA for college to study Biological Science; pre-pharmacy. Initially, I wanted to study culinary or theater arts. I can vividly remember having this conversation with my parents saying, “Oh mom and dad, what if I come to the USA and major in culinary arts or music, what’s going to happen”? The smirk on my mom’s face said, “You dare not, else you’d pay the tuition fees and be disowned”. Though I didn’t have much choice in my major I took several art electives to feed my creative side. Since then, I’ve challenged myself to reinvent West-African Cuisine. It’s been less than a year since we’ve started our catering business, and it’s been excitingly busy. We’ve catered from corporate events to private parties, weddings, city-sponsored events, to participating in culinary competitions. This tells me your journey is what you make it if you’re willing to put in the effort.
Has it been a smooth road?
Starting your first business always has its obstacles. From handling the legal side to managing day to day operations. As well building a brand, learning advertising, to partnering and negotiating with other business there’s so much to learn. However, slowly but surely, we’re learning the food industry and the world of business. Despite the bruises we’ve gained, each is an opportunity to learn and improve ourselves. Business is dynamic and you must be fittest survivor to reach and sustain success.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with B.Y.O. Chef LLC – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
B.Y.O. Chef LLC (Become Your Own Chef) was established to inspire and teach individuals to be a chef in their own kitchen while providing exposure to food cultures around the world. We seek to reinvent cultural staples. Think of it as the next evolutionary step for traditional dishes. Our current focus is establishing our brand and services. Currently, we cater and vendor events but, we aim to add packaged products and hosting cooking classes to our repertoire.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What we like most about the DFW area is cultural diversity of food. There are so many restaurants to try from Thai, Vietnamese, to Russian, French, Indian, and the list goes on. This gives us more exposure to different traditional dishes which we will use as inspiration for our business. What we least like about the DFW area is traffic. With how widespread the Dallas area is, we normally have at least a 30-minute drive to any event. Traffic is so unpredictable it’s hard to prepare for, it always puts us against the clock.
Pricing:
- Half Pan 4quart (H: feeds 10-15people) Full Pan 8.8quart (F:feeds 30-35people)
- Jollof Rice:Tomato and red bell pepper sauce mixed with white/brown rice. H $35/ F $90
- Fried Rice: Stir-fry carrot, green pea, corn in curry paste with white/brown rice. H $45 /F $100
- Egusi: Crushed melon seed with spinach and collards mixed in tomato/red bell pepper sauce. H $45/ F $90
- Efo Riro: Tomato/red bell pepper sauce mixed with spinach and collard. H $40/ F $80
- Suya: Spicy tender beef kebab with peanut sauce. $3.50 per stick
- Panzanella: Fresh chopped tomato, cucumber, caper with croutons and homemade vinaigrette. H $35/ F $65
- Spinach: Lettuce, spinach, carrot, bell pepper with roasted potato and homemade beet-olive dressing. H $30/ F $60 W/Chicken $3
- Creamy Peanut: Creamy spicy peanut soup with chicken and vegetable stock. H $50/ F $100
- Peppersoup: Light spicy habanero soup with vegetable stock H $35/ F $50
- Chin-Chin: Fried sweet dough H $40/ F $80
- Zobo: Hibicus tea with ginger 1Gal $15/ 10oz $3
Contact Info:
- Website: byochef.catering
- Phone: (469) 216-4965
- Email: byochefcatering@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/byochef
- Facebook: facebook.com/thebyochef
Image Credit:
B.Y.O. Chef LLC
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