We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Funmi Osatuyi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Funmi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

LagosChop was born from a deep hunger—literally and spiritually. I had just left Nigeria to study in Vancouver, juggling survival, healing, and ambition. I missed home. I missed flavor. I missed the kind of food that makes you pause mid-bite and say, “God is good.” It all started with one rice cooker and a pot of egusi that tasted like home.
Soon, people around me started asking for plates—students like me who missed a taste of home, even strangers.
I ended up cooking for celebrities on tours and catering weddings.
That’s when it hit me: this wasn’t just food—it was connection.
It was culture, comfort, and creativity, all on one plate.
So I followed that feeling and enrolled in a culinary school, leaving nursing behind.

After a major life transition, I moved to Toronto and continued my career in the restaurant industry as a head chef and consultant, while still running LagosChop on the side. Now in Calgary, I’m fully focused on building LagosChop into the vision God gave me. That’s when it shifted from a craving to a calling.

The idea for Atadindin Sauce came during one of the hardest seasons of my life. I needed something that could go beyond catering—a product that could live on shelves and in kitchens around the world. Atadindin is my peppered love letter to all kitchens. It’s fierce, familiar, and unforgettable—just like me.

Today, LagosChop is more than a business. It’s a movement. We host curated dining experiences like Pasta Wednesday and Beats and Bites, and recently launched a podcast called ChopsTalk—all centered around food, conversation, and community.

My story is still unfolding, but it all started with one simple question:
“You cooked this? Can I order?”

Funmi, 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?

I’m Chef Funmi, also known as Hot Pepper, a Nigerian-born Afro-fusion chef and the founder of LagosChop Catering. I started this brand out of necessity, creativity, and longing for home. After moving to Vancouver for school, I found myself cooking from a place of survival—using one rice cooker to make Nigerian dishes that reminded me of my roots.
That’s where LagosChop began: a taste of home shared with friends, classmates, and strangers who soon became clients.

Over time, LagosChop evolved from a side hustle into a full-blown movement. I worked as a head chef and consultant in Toronto while managing LagosChop on the side, and I’m now based in Calgary where I’m fully focused on scaling the business and building a legacy.

LagosChop provides:

Afro-fusion catering for private events, weddings, and pop-ups

Curated dining experiences like Pasta Wednesday and Beats and Bites

Our signature product, Atadindin Sauce, a peppered Nigerian sauce now being positioned for retail

A podcast called ChopsTalk, where we explore food, identity, business, and storytelling

What sets us apart is that we don’t just serve food—we create emotion. Every dish is a fusion of nostalgia, culture, and intention. I’m most proud of building a brand that brings people together, feeds their cravings, and starts conversations.
My goal is to make LagosChop a household name around the world—from Sunday lunch tables to fine dining pop-ups, from local events to global markets. We’re not just a catering brand—we are culture on a plate.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Resilience is the soil LagosChop was planted in.

From cooking with one rice cooker in Vancouver as a student, to moving cities alone and rebuilding in Toronto while navigating a separation, to now running LagosChop full-time in Calgary—I’ve had to restart more times than I can count. I’ve cooked through grief, through scarcity, and through seasons when I felt like quitting. But I never stopped showing up.

One of the most recent moments that tested me was during Pasta Wednesday—one of our signature LagosChop events. That same morning, I received difficult medical news confirming I had fibroids. It shook me. I was overwhelmed, in pain, and processing so much emotionally. But I still showed up. I cooked, I hosted, I smiled, I poured wine, and I shared joy with my guests.

I led that evening with grace, even when my body was fighting me. That’s what LagosChop is made of—grit, elegance, and fire. That night, one guest came up to me and said, “Chef, this is beautiful. Thank you.” I held back tears because they had no idea what I had been through just hours before.

Whether I’m launching a new product like Atadindin Sauce in a season of loss, or preparing trays the morning after heartbreak, I’ve built this brand by refusing to give up. I cook through the pain. I build through the chaos. And I keep going—with grace, faith, and a whole lot of pepper.

Have you ever had to pivot?

One of my biggest pivots happened when I moved to Calgary after years of building in Toronto.

At the time, I had just come out of a divorce. I was emotionally, financially, and physically drained. I had been working as a head chef and restaurant consultant while nurturing LagosChop as a side hustle. But when life backed me into a corner, I knew it was time to bet on myself fully.

I moved to Calgary with no team, no kitchen, and no financial cushion—just a vision and a few sauce jars. I pivoted from being a part-time creative to a full-time businesswoman. I had to rebuild my clientele from scratch, navigate city permits, restructure my pricing, and introduce my brand to a market that didn’t know me yet.

That pivot birthed Atadindin Sauce, transformed Pasta Wednesday into a signature dining experience, and gave me the courage to launch Beats and Bites—my own curated food and music event.

Pivoting wasn’t just about changing location. It was about realigning with purpose, sharpening my strategy, and believing that even in uncertainty, I carry something the world still needs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.lagoschopcatering.ca
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEsqQTxSoZM/?igsh=eWE4cmxwZzFoZ3J4
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/osatuyi.funmee/