Swapping engines for cuisine

To a stranger, Fatma Oniru would describe herself as ambitious, always on the go and very hands on, especially with parenting, it is no wonder her friends have told her she is a ‘domestic’ wife. Besides raising family, she finds time to do other things she loves. She enjoys a good adrenaline rush in fast cars, motorbikes, quad bikes or anything with wheels.
But the measure of love for racing is not as deep as that for the lucky soul that led her on a journey from London where she qualified as an engineer, to Lagos where she currently resides.
“My husband and I met in London. He decided to move back home, in Lagos, and I wanted a change from the UK life so I thought why not move to Lagos,” she says.

Memories of Jinja
Born in Jinja, Eastern Uganda, Oniru’s family relocated to United Kingdom when she was in Primary Four at Victoria Nile Primary School. Her connection to home is through memories. “I miss my grandmother’s house. It was always a full house and a time to have a lot of fun during Christmas and Eid days. I miss the food, childhood friends, most of whom have also moved abroad. Uganda is calm and good for relaxation,” she recollects.
Lagos has now been her home for six years and whereas she describes it as crazy, she has grown to love it. “I think Nigeria offers young entrepreneurs an opportunity to dream big. I do not regret my move to Lagos. I am not Nigerian but I feel at home,” she says, with a deep smile.

Motorsports engineer
In London, Oniru studied Motorsports engineering in which she holds a national diploma from Langley College and a degree from Coventry University.
When she enrolled for engineering, her goal was to be an F1 engineer but destiny led her to a few garages where she worked. It must have been some gruelling work because at some point she asked for a break and took a somewhat irrational decision. She asked for a working stint at Radisson Hotel in Heathrow.
Luck was on her side and she got a placement as a meeting and events sales executive. Her work brought her into contact with different clients and colleagues. She enjoyed this.
And as she gained experience, she also started falling in love with the job. It was so different from wiring cars and fixing batteries and engines. At the hotel, she felt at home, more at peace. When she felt she had had enough of sales, she requested to work in the kitchen, a placement switch that started her off to a ballgame that brought her spirits alive.
There, she met a chef with whom a warm,working relationship was cultivated. She was the keen one who always asked questions and was willing to help out.

For the love of food
“I would go that extra mile and work with the head chef in making an amazing experience for clients,” she recounts. And the feedback was good. She was particularly spurred on every time a complement came through from a satisfied client who had enjoyed their meal.
For the love of good cooking, she was willing to make some sacrifices. On the days she was meant to be off, she still reported at work and spent time in the kitchen watching colleagues at work. This resonated well with her because as a child, she grew up watching her family take pride in putting together recipes and actualising fine cooking.
“My whole family cooks or bakes. I guess I have always had it in me. I just needed to find myself. It took a long time for me to believe that I can actually be a great chef and follow my dreams but with the support of my family and friends, I am finally taking my steps in this amazing world that allows me to be creative and express myself on a plate,” the chef narrates.
Don’t you miss engineering? I ask. “I miss it a lot but I am happy because the culinary industry is just as crazy if not crazier. So that keeps me excited,” she says.

Making money and great meals
Last year, she signed up for an online course at the prestigious Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. The online course left her hungering for a more practical indulgence. “I felt like I needed to be in a proper kitchen and get the real feel. I finished with Escoffier and went to Chef Academy London where I spent three months working at Michael Nadra, a small restaurant in Camden. I have started my private chef services in Lagos.”
In the private capacity, she offers clients a restaurant experience in the comfort of their homes, be it a romantic dinner, private party, brunch and business luncheons. To keep on top of her game, she is always looking for unique offerings. At the moment, she is working on a spice line called Middle Eastern flavours, which should make her clientele grow. When she started out as a private chef, Oniru felt she could offer a different taste to the Nigerian people by introducing them to pilau, chapatti and Arabic flavours.

In order to fortify her cooking abilities, she plans to occasionally take working expedition in different restaurants in London, Dubai and Australia. That is partly because her job as a private cook allows her to be her own boss.
She named her kitchen Basaal & Thum, Arabic words to mean onion and garlic. She chose the two items for a business name because of their importance in the culinary process. It also reminds her of childhood. The first thing her mother taught her was how to peel garlic and onions.
Cooking and family are all under the same roof, which enables her strike a balance between the two. Oniru is married to Habib Oniru, who is into real estate business. The couple has two girls. She has plans for Uganda.
“By God’s grace, I want to come back when my children are a little older and see what the culinary industry is about in Uganda,” she adds.

Advice on career
“If the new path is what you really want then you should go for it. Many of us at a young age think we know what we want to do but we really don’t. After engineering, I worked in a hotel for a while then I took time off to have my children and that is when I decided to go for cooking as my new career. It was more of a new beginning.”