We recently connected with Chisom Okoye and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chisom , thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

My business name, Nrinka (pronounced in-rin-ka), means Food-Art in my native Nigerian language, Igbo.

I rebranded my baking business late 2022 to one that encompasses my heritage and interests after I realized my passion for baking stemmed from wanting to capture beautiful images. I only cared about viewing food through the lens of the camera.

Food and the Arts are my biggest inspirations and my medium of creative expression is through food, particularly sweet food. I also needed a name that would test the passage of time, and will grow as my business evolves.

Chisom , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Figuring out what I was was a bit difficult at the start. I started my journey as a baker, particularly a Cake decorator, and for as long as I can remember, was a cake decorator. However, I didn’t have dreams to own a bakery or work a professional baker, but I did it because I was good at it and I love making things beautiful.

Fast forward to 2020, during a Pandemic, I bought a semi-professional camera to take better picture and, of course, to start a YouTube channel. Buying a camera and learning how to operate one was the missing piece. I fell in love with learning about taking pictures and videos. I checked out every book on film techniques, photography from the library, I started watching movies with a critical eye to see how the pros do it. I learned all I could about lighting, camera movements, placement, colour theory.

I knew this was what I was meant to do because I could never get tired of learning and trying. I joined Facebook groups with other filmmakers to get tips, and I saw that a director was looking for a food stylist for a film. Though I had never been on a movie set, I sent my portfolio of bake goodies to the director and got the gig. I didn’t realize baking for a film was completely different from baking for people. But I accepted the role as a food stylist and bought books on food styling and learned as much as I could.

That was when I realized I could have a career as a Dessert Stylist. I then realized that there was an industry of dessert stylists baking for films, magazine, fine art photography etc. And I have since pursued similar opportunities.

It is pretty niche and I am still a newbie in the industry, but it has been a fulfilling endeavour so far. I have had the opportunity to work with small brands and also teach other creatives that are interested in my process.

As a dessert stylist, my goal is to tell food stories and make food look good for the camera.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The library!! I was spending so much money buying books, and then I realized I could just go to the library. It has completely changed the game. Now I pick up and learn from all kinds of books and genres. There is no pressure to read the book, I just return if I don’t like it.

If I like the book enough, I buy a copy of my own. A lot of my inspiration and influences were drawn and learned from books I randomly found at the library.

The Toronto library also has other resources to support small business, free or subsidized workshops on personal finance and entry level tech skills.

Also, the city has affordable creative classes. if you are in a mega city like Toronto, be sure take advantage of them.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to add beauty to the world the way I know how. That’s my mission.

Drawing inspiration from art, film, still photography, literature, and life, I create scenes that are quiet and comfortingly familiar. My goal is to help filmmakers, artists, brands, and creatives execute their vision in the most delicious and visually stunning ways.

I want every frame and picture to tell a story about life. Stories of happiness, joy, melancholy, and loss.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nrinka.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nri.nka/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nrinka-by-chisom-okoye-82076b62/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nrinka/shorts