It’s 2025, still, when some think of bakers, they often picture a woman, in a smart apron kneading dough and other ingredients. However, men like Kenechukwu Ogbonna defy this stereotype. Unfazed by being a practitioner in a female-dominated industry, Kene prides himself in the uncommon creativity and superb customer satisfaction that he brings to every commission by a client.
In this interview as rich as his cakes, Kene chats to JD and beams the light on how a fateful circumstance landed him on the offside of societal construct of gendered-occupations and how he is using same — and his rather divergent degree — as a springboard to understand customer psychology, grow his business and break the bias.
First, let’s start with your story — who exactly is Kenechukwu and what was growing up like for you?
I would say my childhood was very eventful. I grew up in the famous city of Nsukka – close to the University of Nigeria – with six siblings. If you add my parents, then you have nine people in my nuclear family. It was a typical Igbo household.
Alongside my siblings, I spent most holidays with my grandmother and cousins, as is customary with people who grew up in the South Eastern part of Nigeria in the early 2000s.
In retrospect, I believe that my experiences with extended family and even the larger ummuna has helped shape the idea of the person I am today. I’m more accommodating and have more understanding of people from diverse backgrounds, thanks to these early experiences.
Speaking of early experiences. Did any of them inform your decision to eventually venture into professional catering services?
Well, maybe to some extent. That element of care for people and service that you find in communal settings features predominantly in my operations now, so maybe yes.
Interestingly, I didn’t study anything close to catering or hospitality in the University. I have a degree in Counseling and Human Developmental Studies earned from the University of Ibadan. However, I can say that studying this course has helped in shaping my career in hospitality today.
It might not have influenced my career decision directly but indirectly, I will say it has helped to broaden my ‘native knowledge’ of human behaviours, business development and growth. So now, I am able to relate with my customers better, understand their needs and meet them.
So you didn’t have any Eureka moment – like a pivotal point that led to the career switch?
I did. If I remember well, the turning point for me was my third year in the University. Already, I started baking in my first year. I had gone to Lagos to spend the holiday with my cousin, who coincidentally runs a bakery. I’d help her out selflessly, but each time I went back to school, I put baking and everything related behind me. lol. Never really considered it a potential ‘hustle’ at the time. For me, it was just one of those things to keep me busy during the holidays.
The watershed moment for me, though, was in my 300 level. Just before I resumed my fourth year in the University, I lost my dad. I knew I needed to be there for my mum – financially and emotionally. So I was like, since I already have the skills, why not make good use of it.
That must have been difficult. What has it been like since then to where you are now as a baker?
Thank you. Thinking about it, I can say my journey has been divinely orchestrated. Before I came to Lagos, I had always found myself around the kitchen. I always enjoyed the art of culinary and everything that has to do with hospitality. I believe my union with the career was just meant to be.
To outsiders, my journey might read like some guy who just stumbled on a career by chance or simply for survival. While there is nothing inherently wrong in this, what people don’t know is that there is a business angle to hospitality too that takes both skills and knowledge. Having been doing this over the years, and fully since my graduation, I’ve seen that I understand this business very well.
Beyond the hard skills in baking, I have also honed my soft skills, so I can communicate and market better to my customers.
I must confess that it hasn’t been all smooth sailing though. At some point, I asked myself if I was making the right decision. I had doubts. But I also had this belief that Lagos would give me the exposure that I needed compared to Ibadan where I was staying as a student, so I moved.
I don’t regret relocating. Working in Lagos has helped me to challenge myself. I feel like I have now proven to myself that I could leave my comfort zone and still be at the top of my craft.
You mentioned that you had doubts at some point. How did you manage that? What kept you going?
At the start, my fear was almost a daily affair. I always questioned myself if this was what I wanted to do with my life.
I believe that there will always be an inner voice that questions if one cannot be a better version of oneself. In moments like that, what kept me going was the conviction that no matter what I venture into, as long as I put my best foot forward, coupled with the grace of God, I’d be successful.
I am also a firm believer in the school of thought which posits that nothing happens by chance. So, each time I had doubts, I reminded myself that I didn’t just start the business for the sake of it. And while I might not have full clarity at that moment, what I was doing could be an avenue for a bigger thing or a process to a bigger hospitality business. These always kept me going.
You are in an industry that is often regarded as female-dominated. Have you experienced any stereotypes – from customers or suppliers or anyone in fact?
It is true that the hospitality industry is largely dominated by women. So, it’s no surprise that people are always like, “Are you serious? You’re a baker as a man?”
If it counts, on stereotypes, it is never not funny when I get new messages on WhatsApp for example, and the sender straight up addresses me as ‘ma’ or ‘madam’. Many people simply assume I am female just because I am a baker. But I have learnt to overlook it and move on.
Do you think you being a male baker has helped or hindered your career growth in any way?
If I am being honest, I don’t think my gender has hindered my growth as a baker. Rather, it has helped. While there are people who wouldn’t even think of giving a man the job to be a baker, most times, people are usually surprised to see me – a man – baking, and it often leads to them wanting to give me a try. This is more common. Some people also have this belief that men in women dominated spaces are better at the craft. I try not to disappoint too.
Hmmm. Considering your wealth of experience, do you think there is anything about hospitality that potential or early stage practitioners don’t understand until they’re in it?
One thing that we don’t stress enough is that for a small and medium scale cake and hospitality business, there are loads of responsibilities resting on the shoulders of the vision bearer. You’re the campaign manager, the marketer, the creative director, the photographer and everything.
And as the business owner, if you don’t learn to coordinate yourself well, these roles could overwhelm you. You have to understand yourself, and what you need to achieve. Sometimes, sales can be low and one can become demoralised. But, having a clear vision of your goals will help you. Keep your spirit up and show up for your business everyday, especially in this tough Nigerian economy.
No two customers are exactly the same and no two cakes too, I presume. How do you balance your quest for creativity with customer demands – especially when they appear to be ‘being difficult’?
For me, I run by this principle: As much as you want to be creative, you must also remember that you’re in business to satisfy customers and clients. During consultation with my clients, I always ask questions like, “Do you have a cake design you want to replicate or use as an inspiration?”.
There are people that already know what they want. Sometimes, you just have to guide them through their selection. Other times, asking for the gender of the end user also helps.
I see cake baking as a project, so it’s important to have clarity on what stakeholders want and to also execute them excellently. That way, you’re trying to be creative but you’re trying to be creative in a way that your customers will like the finished product.
Obviously, you talked about how your degree compliments your work as caterer today. Surely, you don’t ever feel like your degree is “wasted”?
No, I have never felt that way. Remember, my degree is in the humanities and I deal with humans everyday. So, certainly, I still apply it in my day to day business transactions. When my business starts to hire people, I believe it will once again come in handy in the human management side of things.
So, here’s a funny one. Cake don fall for your hand before?
Hehe. No, but I have had a near experience. This mostly happens when a customer picks up cakes themselves. I’ve been lucky so far and I hope I continue to be.
What advice would you give to young people—especially graduates—who are afraid to take unconventional paths?
My advice for young graduates who are afraid to take an unconventional path is that they should know their ‘whys’.
Asking yourself why you want to do what you want to do will help you navigate challenging days – which are surely ahead – and give you the zeal to continue. The goal might be that you’re saving for your Masters or some other reason. Just be sure of your ‘why’.
What’s the most beans-worthy (i.e., real, unfiltered) part of your journey that people don’t see on Instagram?
People don’t know I am a shy person. They assume I am outspoken and all of that. But they don’t know the practice I have to do mentally to put myself out there.
Before 2025, I posted my products without including my face, but I just started doing that this year, and it has not been all that easy. Another thing is when I put a finished product out there, people commend how beautiful it is and in mind I’m always like, really? Because I know the shege I went through before this turned out like this.
If your story were a dish, what would it be—and why?
I will say the ofada sauce because it has different spices, pepper, assorted meat and all that. If you don’t like it for the pepper, you will like it for the meat, if you don’t like it for the meat, you will like it for the locust beans or the flavour for the bleach oil. That also applies to how I approach my products. I tend to have different cake flavours, price range and designs to suit your occasion and your budget.
If you have a story about love, heartbreak, your money habit, faith – or a lack of it – or even an unconventional career journey like Kene’s, and you are happy to share, we’d love to hear it—and feature it for free. Register your interest below and a member of our team will be in touch with you.
