Oluchi Chibuzor
Nigeria’s premier discovery platform and organisers of The Kitchen Nigeria, Lost in A City, has announced September 19 to October 16, 2022 as the date for the Season II of the show.
This is just as it revealed that it increased the prize money for the prospective winner of the show by 150 per cent- from two million naira to five million naira.
This announcement was made at the unveiling of The Kitchen Nigeria Season Two and as Lost in A City enjoins interested members of the public, who would want to participate in the show, to avail themselves of this wonderful opportunity.
The Kitchen Nigeria, which debuted last year, is a search for ‘the next big restaurateur in Nigeria.’ It is aimed at promoting the restaurant industry in Nigeria by grooming and supporting aspiring restaurateurs in the country. It is sponsored by Mastercard, a global payment and multinational financial services corporation.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of Lost in a City, Tannaz Bahnam, this year’s The Kitchen would host a pool of emerging talents in the industry from across the country and provide them with a platform to compete.
“The Kitchen Nigeria is the perfect opportunity for aspiring restaurateurs to turn their dreams into reality. It is a search for the next big restaurateur in Nigeria and aims at supporting and promoting aspiring small business owners in the dining sector in Nigeria. The winner of this Season II will get N5 million to be invested into his or her dream of becoming a restaurateur.
“The challenge will be for the contestants to create their own three-night pop-up restaurant in order to see who will become the next big restaurateur in Nigeria.
“During the show, four contestants will prove to their customers that they have what it takes to open and run a successful restaurant outlet.
“The winner will be selected based on the showcase of the three pillars of a successful restaurant or hospitality firm – food, ambiance, and service,” Bahnam continued.
For the Director, Area Marketing of Mastercard, Yosola Atere, informed that dining is one of Mastercard’s passions and The Kitchen Nigeria is an opportunity to groom and support SMEs in the sector, where aspiring restaurateurs have an opportunity to test their ability to open or run a business in a challenging environment.
“The Kitchen Nigeria is not ‘another cooking competition’ but a platform that takes you on a culinary journey to find the next big restaurateur in Nigeria.
“It is in keeping with Mastercard’s commitment to support small and medium businesses (SMEs) in Nigeria, with a particular focus on the restaurant industry. It is also aimed at further growing the hospitality industry in Nigeria, as well as empowering talents with the interest of becoming restaurant owners.”
On the modalities of the show, the CEO of Lost in A City explained that interested members of the public who want to be part of the contest are required to send in a three-course menu proposal and a one-minute video along with their bio to The Kitchen Competition Registration Portal – www.thekitchen.ng/apply. The portal will be open till 27 August, 2022.
“The stage two of the competition entails an adjudication panel to select six semi-finalists who will be expected to present their cooking abilities in a cook-off where they will have to cook one of their three courses for the judges. The adjudication panel will then select four finalists, who will then qualify for the final stage of the contest, out of the six participants.
“In stage three, the four finalists will get the opportunity to host a three-night pop-up where 20 guests will enjoy a three-course meal each night. The organisers will allocate a budget for each finalist to prepare for his or her own unique pop-up.
“This budget will allow them to buy ingredients, hire staff and create the ambiance to make their pop-up a success. The final winner will be determined by the guests and judges, who will rate each finalist based on the same three key variables, namely food, ambiance and service,” she added.
She further informed that the Judges for the Season Two of the competition are Tannaz Bahnam, Founder/CEO of Lost in a City; Ziad Beydoun, Co-Founder/Executive Chef, Z Kitchen and Ziya Lagos; Chef Benedict, Founder, The Chef Benedict Culinary Experience; and Uzoamaka Umeh, Founder of El Padrino.
The Season One of The Kitchen, held last year will be showing on DSTV, Africa Magic Family, Channel 154 to unveil the winner.
