What a woman can do, men can do more creatively - Kunle Richard, CEO Reddies Kitchen

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention and that was what led my guest today on #ChatwithOpecareem the Chief Executive Officer of Reddies Kitchen based in Lagos to turn his hobby into a money- spinning venture. Reddies Kitchen which is into both indoor and outdoor catering services would have remained just a hobby if it wasn’t for the passion. Taiwo Olakunle Richards is my Next Nigerian Entrepreneur for the week. He spoke with me about leaving his certificates to become a caterer, what has driven him to succeed and what sets him apart in the catering business, how anyone can start and manage a successful catering business. I hope this inspires you to create something and prosper. Read excerpts...

When and Why did you start RED ASUN?

RedAsun started Nov 2013. It sprung out of a need to be enterprising.

 Why the name?

 Three of us came together Richard, Emmanuel, Deola hence RED. But we initially started with grilled goatmeat, hence RED ASUN, the colour red which is the colour of pepper, a major ingredient was also an inspiration.

 What is your background and what were you doing before you set up the company?

Well, mom is a retired caterer so basically it was innate, and I was serving in Abia state when we fully went professional. But along the years after service we had a falling apart, so the name had to be changed to Reddies Kitchen when full catering services were imbibed, but Reddies was still inspired by Red.

I'm a BSc holder, a graduate of Botany from University of Ibadan, so I basically had learnt knowledge of spices.

 What kind of catering and events services do you provide?

We offer

indoor and outdoor catering services

Smallchops

Asun

BBQ

 Local and continental dishes

What does it takes to become a caterer? 

Well becoming a caterers involves passion and open-mindedness to new things, learning new skills and consistency

What is your take on catering industry in the country? 

The industry is a diverse constantly evolving one with new sources of inspirations springing up constantly, highly competitive yet diverse nonetheless

What type of challenges has the company faced and how did you overcome them? 

A competition and fluctuations in market structures.....  But these has been combated with doggedness and a passion to deliver and stay relevant

What is your advice for aspiring caterers?

Be open minded, and be creative. 

What motivated you to go into the catering business?

A retired caterer mother and a specific taste for cooking. 

There are lots of catering businesses around. What sets your apart from the rest?

Our flexibility to fit into customer/client budget and taste plus our unique blend of carefully selected spices

Some people believe the woman should be the cook. Do you agree? And how do you intend to balance work and family when you get married?

Lol, oh well, I guess what a woman can do, men can do more creatively, this industry is not a strictly women occupation..... 

Work and family, well the two will have to exist coherently

Looking back from where you started, how much have you grown?

Well I've learnt a lot really, mostly because I started from scratch,  but the passion has kept me going, and with the array on resources available to learn new things.... I would say I've grown considerably.... But there's always still room for improvement. 

Tell me about your growing up....

Eeeerrrrmm, well I was single-handedly raised by my mom, as an only child I've learnt to do a lot of things for myself, cooking and cleaning inclusive....  So where my mom left off, I took it from there...  Basically. 

Where do you see Reddies in the next 5 years? 

Self functional catering outfit with established restaurants across major locations in Lagos. 

You can follow Reddies Kitchen on Twitter, IG,  FB,  @reddieskitchen