Ekiti-based Nigerian chef, Damilola Adeparusi, popularly known as Chef Dammy, has officially begun her professional culinary training at the Hospitality Business School in Lagos.
Chef Dammy, who gained fame for her cook-a-thon attempt in June 2023, is now pursuing a cuisine chef professional diploma, the Professional Culinary Art Chef course, on a full scholarship. The school, owned by Horecabb Mentors, made the announcement.
Expressing her excitement on Instagram on Saturday, Chef Dammy shared a picture of herself in her new school uniform. “My first time in school uniform as a proper pro. Chef in the making,” she wrote. “I ran back into the hostel to go and blush. Being my first time in the school uniform, when I stepped out of the hostel, I started hearing, ‘Chef Dammy, you’re finally wearing the uniform, so fine!’ So I ran back inside, took selfies, and started blushing again,” she added, recalling her initial shyness and the warm reception she received.
She went on to express her gratitude to Nigerian food entrepreneur Oluwatobi Fletcher, popularly known as Ofadaboy; the group CEO of Horecabb Mentors, Dr. Mekwuye Eric; and the Ekiti State Government for their support in making her enrolment possible. “A big thank you to Ofadaboy and the CEO hbshotelschool_lagos for making this a reality. A big thank you to my darling lawyer; she’s just too amazing. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to His Excellency, Governor Biodun Oyebanji, and Her Excellency, Dr. Yemi Oyebanji, for their unwavering support thus far,” she wrote. “A big thank you to all my anonymous supporters and to everyone still following and rooting for me! A big shoutout to everyone who made my week fun, my school mother #ekiskitchen_foods, and everyone at HBS,” she added.
The scholarship is a collaborative effort between HBS, Ofadaboy, and the Ekiti State Government, with support from First Lady Yemi Oyebanji. It was initially announced in December 2024 by Mekwuye at the Ofada Rice Day Festival.
In January, Mekwuye confirmed that Chef Dammy would also receive five additional free courses through the HBSLagosScholarship “to make her a complete and well-rounded chef.”
