On arriving at the school, he made his strongest mark through sport, where he discovered a characteristic shared by those who often find themselves entering new horizons – he realised that he loved to lead.
That bridge-work is embodied in the brand’ s mantra –“ chop, chat, chill”. Chop, a word meaning‘ eat’ in Nigerian pidgin English, or generic for‘ food’, is never encountered alone in such kitchens, for it is the community with which one breaks bread that defines the taste of the meal as much as anything. It is who you‘ chat’ with, and who you‘ chill’ with, that often defines and attracts the good taste of strong chop. In investigating the concept of leadership, Emeka is quick to place the majority of his learning on the value of responsibility.“ You never realise how much the younger boys look up to you,” he says. The growth he experienced personally through realising the role he played for jun men, the community which he led at school, and on the pitch, directly translates into the work he embodies through Chuku’ s.“ It’ s amazing to see people eating my food, and reading my content online, as I reach out to them. It’ s a two-way mark of respect. This is how the business grows.” The journey from Ilford to Winchester is more than a trip round the M25 and M3. For Emeka it was one that often called for set parameters of identity to be called into question. As a result, and as he grew further through his studies at Nottingham University and a stint in the City, he realised that he had the confidence to be able to enter into any environment whatsoever, whether in the kitchen or front-ofhouse, and lead, as himself.“ Perhaps indirectly,” he notes,“ Winchester had a very large role to play in creating a fluid comfort zone for me. I can feel at home anywhere now.” Chuku’ s is now in its second year of operation, and grows from strength to strength. In the constant lookout for a site from which to operate a kitchen, Emeka and his sister continue to enjoy the pop-up model that is becoming an increasingly popular mode of restaurateurs in the city. It is well known how tough it is to survive the competition – only one in every ten restaurant businesses make it through their first year in London. Chuku’ s, led by Emeka and his sister, has survived that first year.“ It’ s all about knowing your edge,” he says, as he returns back to tomorrow’ s menu.
The Wykeham Journal 2016 29