Chef Dumebi Agbakoba

Chef Dumebi is a chef, culinary educator, hospitality consultant, entrepreneur and cultural storyteller whose work sits at the intersection of food, business, culture and industry development.

With more than a decade of experience building and operating food businesses across Lagos, Lomé and London, she has developed a portfolio of twelve distinct food brands spanning restaurants, bakeries, delivery concepts, plant-based food and contemporary West African dining. Her experience extends beyond the kitchen into brand development, restaurant strategy, operations, marketing, business development and hospitality growth.

At the centre of her work is The Jollof System™ — Base → Build → Finish, a framework inspired by the structure of great cooking and applied to both culinary education and food business development. Through the system, Chef Dumebi teaches that strong results begin with getting the foundation right: build the right base, develop it intentionally, and finish with clarity.

Her culinary philosophy is rooted in “Translation, Not Fusion”; respecting where food comes from while allowing ingredients, techniques and traditions to travel thoughtfully across cultures. Her teaching explores West African food through technique, memory and context, with particular focus on the power of the base, regional ingredients and the stories behind the dishes we cook.

Chef Dumebi trained at Leiths School of Food and Wine and Le Cordon Bleu and has continued her professional development in patisserie, hospitality and food education in London. She has also worked extensively in media, including presenting By The Stove with Chef Dumebi on FoodBay TV, and continues to write and speak about food, hospitality, entrepreneurship and the future of Africa’s restaurant industry.

Through her classes, intensives, consultancy and industry conversations, she works with aspiring chefs, food entrepreneurs and hospitality businesses at different stages; starting, returning, rebuilding and growing.

Her wider mission is to contribute to a stronger food and hospitality ecosystem: one where African culinary knowledge is documented, restaurant careers are taken seriously, businesses are built sustainably and the next generation of chefs has greater opportunities to learn, lead and create.

“Food travels. Technique remembers.”