Nky Iweka aka ‘The Executive Mama Put’ has spent the last few years redefining Nigerian food, challenging the way in which Nigerian food is cooked and presented. 

A mother of two, she started off her professional career as a Management Consultant at Unisys and PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she was lucky enough to eat her way round the world (in addition to working in Finance Transformation for Bluechip Companies, mostly in the Telecoms Sector).

Given her obvious creativity (she also designs gardens and landscapes), many people are surprised to learn that she has a first class honours in BSc. Computing and a Masters in Decision Sciences (think of it as Applied Mathematics). Those skills are certainly not wasted in her new career. 

As a long-term Londoner, she says she is lucky enough to be  exposed to dishes from around the world and has watched the metamorphosis of British cuisine from being the butt of culinary jokes to being one of the exciting foods in the culinary world. “Worldwide, chefs are constantly reinventing their national dishes and creating truly beautiful masterpieces, worthy of any artist. I wanted the same for our food”.

She recently published her first book, ‘Quintessentially Efik Recipes’ which showcases the dishes and culture of the Efik people of Southern Nigeria. Other books on Nigerian cuisine are in the pipeline.

In addition, she offers a wide range of culinary services ranging from culinary training, front-of-house training, menu development to cooking for private clients.

Tutoring the Executive Catering Staff (and others)  at the Central Bank of Nigeria

At Wuse Market, Abuja, Nigeria … wearing a Fulani Hat

With some of the kitchen staff at a Boutique Hotel in Lagos