Starting from Nigeria to Dubai, Taiwo credits WAVE for laying the foundation for becoming a Chef.

Taiwo's story of becoming a Chef started when he met a WAVE alumnus during town storming at Ikeja where he had his Industrial Training (IT) in Computer Engineering. He remembered asking the alumni if WAVE could give him the opportunity to achieve his dream and the alumnus was able to assure him.

For Taiwo, his training experience at the Yaba center was both awesome and challenging; "It was awesome because even though my intention was only to learn soft skills a Chef would need on the job and exposure to the hospitality world, I got more than I bargained for; I learned life skills that would make me stand out anywhere I find myself. What was challenging for me during the training was the practicals that involved making art with what we could find around, then convincing strangers to buy them, that one was really difficult.

Another challenge I had was when we were asked to do an elevator pitch in front of the class which would be recorded and uploaded online. I remember doing a lot of practice in front of my mirror and being extremely nervous because I was not comfortable speaking in front of people coupled with being introverted, it was not a good look’’, he said.

After his in-class training, Taiwo job shadowed at Leisure Mall in Surulere Lagos as a Sales Representative although his desire was to work as a Chef. This didn’t stop him from making the most of that opportunity because he learned how to interact with customers, work with a team, and practice effective communication with people around him. After his job shadow, he received a job offer at RSVP, a restaurant in Lagos.

“My time at RSVP was short because I was assigned to assist a Chef and anytime the Chef left a restaurant, he was eager to take me along because he enjoyed working with me and I was definitely ecstatic to tag along because he was always patient in teaching me how to cook some local but mostly intercontinental dishes.

I worked with him at several restaurants like; Sweet Sensation, Afterpay Restaurant and Lounge, Culinary Restaurant, and Ebony Life place. It was while I was working at Ebony Life place that I got the opportunity to travel to Dubai to work at Al Mubasher Restaurant”, Taiwo said.

Taiwo loves his job as a Chef not just because it has been a dream but the skills he learned WAVE made working easier. He communicates easily with team members, developed a learning ability, to be emotionally intelligent, a problem solver, and manage more. Taiwo also assists his only sister and mother financially.

Taiwo has a new goal to work on a cruise ship where he can cook for thousands of people, get higher pay, and also an opportunity to travel the world. He feels that to get that job, he needs to stay focused and positive, gain more experience, build the right network using the skills he acquired during his training with us.

When asked to give advice to job seekers, Taiwo said, “job seekers should strive to stay positive while searching for job opportunities, even if you don’t get your dream job, you might learn necessary skills that will prepare you for the job you love. Also, build the right network because it is leverage for future opportunities.”