By Christian Agadibe
Foodbay TV has unveiled Street Foodz Naija season 3, nation’s foremost docu-reality cooking contest that showcases the best of Nigeria’s street foods. This is coming after a successful maiden edition in Ghana.
Hosted by VJ Adams and held at RF Gardens, Ikoyi, Lagos, the ceremony, which had notable celebrities in attendance including Big Brother Naija housemates, turned into a mini Street Foodz Festival, as previous winners of the show treated guests to the best of Nigerian street foods.
Setting the tone for the evening was host, VJ Adam, who had a brief session on stage with some of the influencers, judges and sponsors for this year’s edition, who shared their street food stories. From Charles O’tudor to Chef Fregs, Elozonam Ogbolu, Toyin Lawani and Noble Igwe, all the influencers commended Maxima Media Group, owners of Foodbay TV platform for birthing an idea that is not only promoting Nigerian foods, but also empowering young ‘foodpreneurs’ to maximise their potential.
Tagged: ‘The Redefinition’, the organisers are taking things a notch higher this season in terms of production quality and prizes for winners. The King of Street Food 2022 (winners of the show) will go home with N10 million cash prize; $10,000 worth of training at the Metropolitan School of Business Management, United Kingdom; all-expense paid trip to Dubai, and culinary scholarship at HBM. However, first runner-up will get N5 million cash while the second runner up will go home with N3 million.
Speaking at the event, Maxima Media Group’s CEO, Femi Ogundoro, thanked the sponsors for coming on board in an effort to promote Nigerian street foods and empower young culinary talents through Street Foodz Naija show.
He stated: “I thank God and my wonderful team for putting this together. It’s not just about having a show; it’s more about impact and value creators. If you look at the guys we are trying to sell, they are champions; that’s what we call them at Foodbay TV. They are responsible for feeding over 100 million people daily in Nigeria. According to pre-COVID-19 World Bank report, four out of 10 Nigerians actually live below poverty line. These guys cannot cook their own meal; they can’t do a lot for themselves. So, they go and buy food and we have them across the country. We felt that if these guys are that important, why are we not paying attention?
“Street food cuts across different social economic class; from people that are really big to guys down in Ajegunle. So, the question is, ‘why are we not celebrating the guys that are responsible for feeding us and helping them to achieve their potentials to do much more than they are doing at the moment?’ That was why the team got together and said ‘let’s start Street Foodz Naija’.”
While assuring fans of a loaded season, Ogundoro said, “For season 3, trust me, it’s going to be beyond amazing; we have a lot in stock for this particular season. From the judges to the host, the production value… it’s going to be a lot higher than what you saw last season.”
Sponsored by Peak milk, La Casera, Tiger Beer and Metropolitan School of Business Management, regional auditions for the show will hold in Enugu, Abuja and Lagos.