The second annual Nigeria Food Summit will take place Friday, March 21, and represents Nigeria’s largest gathering of food experts, including restaurant owners, chefs, farmers, producers, manufacturers, writers, photographers, videographers, educators, agencies, tech representatives, and government officials championing Nigerian food culture.
Nigerian chef Gbolabo Gibbs Adebakin, known simply as Chef Gibbs, is the director of events and partnerships for the Restaurants, Cafes, Bars and Clubs Association of Nigeria (RCBC) and former vice president of the Culinary Arts Practitioners Association of Nigeria (CAPA). Both experiences laid the foundation for his role as the convener of the Nigeria Food Summit.
“I will deliver an opening remark to inspire and encourage the industry to keep pushing forward,” he says. “Then, I will ensure the event runs smoothly by overseeing operations. In addition to my role, there will be remarkable speakers and activities at the summit. We’ll have panel discussions, keynote speeches, master classes and even a live farm.”
Building a Foundation on Culinary Heritage
This year’s summit focuses on “Establishing Nigeria as a Global Food Destination,” highlighting the West African country’s food industry’s often-neglected status, culinary offerings and Nigerian food culture overall.
“Despite possessing a rich history and a diverse food culture, Nigerian cuisine has frequently been overlooked or inadequately represented compared to other global cuisines,” says Gibbs.
In addition to celebrating and promoting its rich culinary heritage domestically and internationally, the summit seeks to emphasize and discuss the unique ingredients, dishes, and cooking techniques that characterize Nigerian food culture.
Chef Gibbs explained that the inaugural theme from a pre-gathering in 2024, “An Emerging Industry,” aimed to highlight and celebrate the growth of the Nigerian food industry. “We selected this theme not due to a deficiency in Nigeria’s food industry, history, or culture, but rather because Nigerian cuisine has attained recognition both locally and internationally primarily within the past four to five years.”
The culinary ambassador founded the Nigeria Food Summit because he noticed Nigeria’s frequent exclusion from global discussions. “For a long time, Nigerian food culture, stories and achievements were acknowledged separately, without a unified movement to recognize them as part of a broader narrative,” he explains. “We organized a local summit to showcase our accomplishments, explore future development, and plan for the next phase.”
Chef Gibbs attributes his culinary experience to highlighting this necessity. “As a chef, I’ve seen many gaps in the industry. I strongly wanted to address these issues, starting with informal gatherings with other chefs and peers to share our common challenges. It quickly became clear that many of us encountered similar obstacles, encouraging us to keep the dialogue going.”
By Stephanie Teasley
