About Chop

A love letter to the food that raised me.

I was born in Nigeria and moved to Canada when I was 12. That shift across continents came with a lot of change — some exciting, some disorienting. One of the biggest things I found myself missing was the food. Not just the taste, but the culture, the feeling, the connection.

I'm not a chef. But my mum, my grandma, and the women in my family are amazing cooks. Their cooking is full of flavor, history, and heart — passed down not through measurements, but through feel, intuition, and love. "Just add this much" or "cook it until it smells right" — it was never exact, but it was always perfect.

What I've realized is that African and Caribbean food — while different — both carry deep roots and rich traditions. But somehow, they don't always show up in the everyday mix of global cuisine. Everyone knows tacos, sushi, or pasta — but have they ever tried egusi soup? Jollof? Callaloo? There's so much flavor out there waiting to be discovered.

Chop is my small way of preserving, sharing, and celebrating this food. Maybe it'll just be for me — a way to hold on to memories and learn from my mum. Or maybe someone else will discover something new and fall in love with a dish they've never had before. Either way, it's a love letter to the food that shaped me.

One day, I'll do a cook-a-thon with my mum. Document it all. Maybe finally learn to make a halfway decent imitation of the food that raised me.