Chef Chris Omoke

I am Chef Chris Omoke. I come from humble beginnings. I was raised by a single, working mother from the age of seven and my elder siblings were in boarding school at the time. So I started spending most of my time in the kitchen, preparing meals for my mother and my younger siblings whenever my mother was busy or unwell. This made me develop a love for cooking and birthed in me a desire to be a better cook someday.

My dream started in 2013 when I took a part-time, casual job at the Sarova Stanley Hotel as a kitchen hand. This was to enable me to pay the rest of my school fees at the KCA University, where I was doing my CPA.

I really appreciate Chef Emmanuel Aluda and Chef Godfrey Ouda for not only giving me a golden opportunity but also nurturing me under the Sarova hotels apprenticeship program for over a year.

In 2014, I took my first job as the third commis at Ambiance Restaurant in Karen, owned by a French chef who taught me how to cook French cuisine. I was promoted to Demi Chef later in the year, and later joined China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). This is where I worked as a Chef de Partie under Chinese chef Mr. Yen, who taught me how to prepare Chinese cuisine and how to use a knife like a pro.

I acquired extra cooking and management skills, which later got me promoted to Head Chef in a new branch. I worked there from 2017 up until September 2018 when I joined K1 klubhouse in Nairobi’s Parklands area as Head Culinarian until late July 2020. Currently, I am working on opening a food truck business, which I am supposed to start soon.

I have acquired many skills and cooking techniques over the past six years and I can comfortably manage a five-star restaurant with ease. This is all thanks to my mentors, not forgetting my Swiss Chef consultant, Chris Barrett.

Cooking is a craft that begins with technique. Learning these techniques is a bit like learning a new language.

• Email: omokechris@gmail.com
• Instagram page: @chef-chris omoke