Authentic Cuisine at Afi’s in Nigeria

Madam Afi is the proud owner of Afi’s Cuisine, a rustic restaurant in Lagos. Together with her daughter, this entrepreneurial pair specialise in cooking authentic food from Efik.

You have to be very consistent, you have to maintain and keep improving on your standard.”

For Offiong Okpo, also known as Madam Afi, these are just two essential ingredients for cooking up a successful business in the restaurant industry. Owner of Afi’s Cuisine, a bustling bistro business with two restaurant branches in Nigeria, she knows what it takes to keep the customers coming.

Offiong Okpo (Madam Afi): Owner of Afi's Cuisine

Working with her daughter, Aniete Aoko, these two women cook traditional dishes from Efik and the Ibibio tribe.  Particularly proud of their speciality, Edikang Ikong, they swear they follow the finest recipe in Lagos. But first-class food takes time and attention. Madam Afi explains that it sometimes takes almost a whole day to cook up their superior soup. Cutting the vegetable into very thin slices before placing it into the pot is just one trick of their trade.

For Aniete, a keen entrepreneur, the food industry represents endless business opportunities. Constantly considering ways to improve and grow the business she is enthusiastic about exploring every prospect. Beyond the option to cater for any occasion, she has wide ranging plans to manage a cooking school, and tap into the market for readymade meals. She sees Afi’s Cuisine growing to great heights and possibly exporting abroad. But whatever possibilities the future may bring, she knows that successfully running a business takes constant dedication.

Always polite, always ready to be of service, Madam Afi demonstrates that taking care of your customers is what running a good restaurant is all about. But she is quick to point out that it also takes passion. She gains her greatest pleasure from seeing her customers heartily enjoy their meal. While she recognises that profit is important, her business attitude focuses on quality. Her restaurant in Nigeria is prosperous because she is able to bring her love of cooking ‘to the table.’ After 18 years in the industry, she is more than grateful to still be open for business.