From Foodie to Chef: This Retired Army Colonel is Living His Dream Life
“I am a foodie so it was easy to transition from a hobby, to passion and now my cooking is a profitable business.”
“I have always loved food. My mother ensured that if her children loved food then they should cook as well. She was what you would call may now call a feminist because didn’t believe in gender roles. Growing up, all of us children cooked and did household chores — boys and girls alike.”
Franco’s Kitchen
Retired Colonel Francis Okosun was born to a police officer father. His family was itinerant in the early years of his life, moving from place to place often, his family lived in many parts of Nigeria. With his experience travelling across the length and breadth of Nigeria as a young boy, he got to experience the different tastes and flavours of Nigerian food.
“We got to watch my mother cook at home. I’ll pass her pepper, oil, salt in the kitchen and clean up after her. From there I cultivated a love for cooking.”
Food and Work
Okosun retired from the military as Nigerian Army Colonel, and even though he still works as a security consultant, cooking is his passion.
After his voluntary retirement, He was the CSO at the Murtala Mohammed Airport 2(MMA2) for several years. During this time he still continued to nurse the dream of sharing his gift of cooking with the world.
He would share tips with strangers and coworkers and always got great feedback.
“You should put on frozen soup in a pot of hot water and continue to boil the water till the soup thaws in its bowl. This way Okra remains crisp and fresh” this trick worked and share with others. de-frosting Okra soup can be tricky, and people fear a loss of fresh taste.
Another tip he shared is the way to enjoy your Edika Ikong soup for days. Even though this beloved soup contains lots of palm oil, the way to enjoy it days after you made it is to reheat with a tablespoon of palm oil. “ when you do this, you revive the soup as well enjoy the new, more delicious flavour”.
These days he spends most of his time functioning as the Head Chef of Franco’s Kitchen and cooking delicious soups. Col. Okosun is Esan, a tribe in Edo State in the south-south part of Nigeria.
How it Started
“I used to make videos of my cooking that I’ll share on my WhatsApp status. My contacts will respond to the videos with comments like ‘I want, and emojis’. One day, my wife suggested I should create a business out of my love of cooking. She then helped set up my Instagram page. Okosun always dreamed of partnering with his daughter who was at that time studying for her PhD in the United Kingdom to start an online restaurant here in Nigeria. ‘It was always something we joked about, how strong our collaboration will be — an army colonel and a PHD holder duo who also are father and daughter. My daughter still lives in the United Kingdom. I am running the business with the help of my wife.”
He started his business with two staff, but now Francos Kitchen has expanded to 5 staff.
He says that he has no plans of moving out of his in-home kitchen to a walk-in restaurant or a fast-food chain.
And this not because of a lack of ambition .
“I am not doing this for money. I am just happy to express myself through cooking. I am excited about waking up every day with pending orders. I love making people happy with my food. Nothing delights me more than hearing the voice on the other side of the phone ask ‘ Am I speaking with the head chef of Franco’s kitchen….”
Finding Fulfillment
Okosun is 67 and says this is fulfilling work. He delivers food to different states within Nigeria and also has diaspora clients. “Last week we delivered food to a woman in Abuja. Her son who lives in Brazil ordered seafood okra to surprise her. I also have other clients who live in different parts of the world, connecting with their friends and families through my cooking.”
I asked him if he ever feared failure when he started putting himself out there as a chef, after all, people would expect someone with a successful military career to care more about his tough-guy exterior. He said he never worried about people receiving the gift of his food or not. “Make yourself happy by doing what you love or always wanted to do. If you do it well, people will naturally embrace it, and some may even copy.
Okosun is living his best life cooking home made meals and sending to different parts of the globe.
Do you know any foodies who are getting creative with this passion? Please share, I ll love more food stories.
