AS AN ENGINEER, RUNNING A RESTAURANT IN LONDON IS AN ADVENTURE I LOVE–Eniola Medupin

HER story is interesting. She had her first and masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering but worked as a banker with Barclays Bank and when she got married, she ended up as a caterer. They both own ENISH, a Ni­gerian restaurant in Lewisham High Street London. Late­ly, she spoke with Sunday Sun about why she eventually became a caterer and other issues.
Please introduce yourself?
My name is Eniola Medupin and I was born in Abeokuta. I’m from Ogun State and my husband is from Kogi State. I grew up in Akwa Ibom State but I had my secondary educa­tion in Abeokuta . I attended Kings College,University of London where I studied Mechanical Engineering. After a brief spell in Nigeria, I returned to London and worked with a solicitor for a year and a half.
Subsequently, I went to America for my masters degree in engineering . I returned to the UK, Cardiff to be pre­cise and worked with Barclays Bank until we moved back to London and in­corporated ENISH in 2013. We actually got the keys to this property in July of that year and we started working on it. It used to be a Chinese restaurant and it was vacant for two years before we got it. Then we opened on October 1st 2013.
Why did you venture into cater­ing?
Actually it was easy for my husband because his mum owns a restaurant in Nigeria. They have one in Ilorin and another at Lokoja. He grew up in that environment and that is something he always wanted to do. My husband in­fluenced me.
As a banker, how did you feel about your husband’s dream?
I adapt to every situation. I wasn’t against it. It’s a new adventure for me and I actually enjoy it. I like sitting here and working, it’s really good.
Comment on your experience so far
It’s a very big change and very dif­ferent.
In banking, I managed customers’ money and it wasn’t a joke. As a cater­er, I always make sure we are consist­ent and what we advertise is what cus­tomers get. No hidden agenda. I open for business at 1pm and close between 12am and 1am in the morning.
How do you handle your home and business?
I work Mondays thru Thursdays and he works Friday thru Sunday. Some­times he works on Thursday too.
How did you meet your hus­band?
We met in London through a mutual friend. We chatted on hi five. When he proposed, I was on my way to the United States for my masters and he was returning to Nigeria. Subsequently, he moved back to London and when I finished my masters, I came back to London and we got married and moved to Cardiff before we moved back to London.
What has life taught you gener­ally?
Tolerance. People management is what I learnt in the business. I know def­initely that my mentality has changed with the business. My husband knows what the business is all about and there are some things I want to do that I can’t without consulting Sola. I call him and ask for his opinion.
What’s your daily routine like?
We open at 1pm and let the air in and out and if anything needs to be cleaned up, we clean and get ready for customers. We also have a website where people can book on line. I check the Internet regularly. The booking is not only about the food as customers also use our facilities on weekends. I look at my diary to know how many people are invited and then we call organizers and discuss eating options. Subsequently, I check our inventory to know if we need to order more food.
What are the challenges of run­ning a business like this in Lon­don?
With regards to government rules and regulations, to me, I think it’s very straight forward. Find out what the rules are and obey. They will not both­er you as long as we are up to date.
At first, we had ideas of night bands and DJs but then again we have neigh­bors, who from our very first day, com­plained that the noise was too much. We had to change our strategy. Even without DJs and life bands we are okay.
There’s no point getting into trouble with your neighbors. Our neighbors could stop calling us and instead call the council and you wouldn’t want to get on the council’s radar.
How would you describe your style?
Comfortable. For shoes, I go with wedges. Even with wedges I still have a backup in my bag. My clothes have to be comfortable. I sweat easily. I re­member my staff told me they’d nev­er seen me change my style with the weather. Sometimes, they come to work in turtlenecks and I am in my T-shirt and shorts and they wonder if I’m not feeling cold but I tell them give me a few minutes I will start dripping with sweat.
To me it’s more about comfort and looking good. I like different col­ours.
What’s your favourite food?
For breakfast, I love Golden Morn. I also like fried plantains, maybe with rice and stew. I love beans with a pas­sion.
How did your friends react when you ventured into catering?
They weren’t surprised and when they come visiting, Shola and I always feted them. They were not surprised we incorporated a restaurant. It wasn’t a shock to anyone of them at all. When they come here, they are like waoh, it’s big.
What fashion accessory can’t you do without?
Maybe my handbag. That’s actually what I spend a lot on and that’s because I don’t want to have so many hand­bags. I want to have a handful, maybe 5. Then they must really be very good handbags.
I prefer DKNY because I’m yet to see a fake one.
You cook only Nigerian food?
Yes, that’s why we adopted the brand name Nigerian Restaurants in­stead of African Restaurants. I felt if I didn’t and since there are Liberians, Ghanaians, and South Africans I don’t know how to cook their food. Our menu is mainly Nigerian food.
What are the delicacies you cook?
We cook efo riro, egusi, ogbono, nsala, banga, edik kang ikong, afang, ewedu, gbegiri, jollof rice, fried rice, chicken suya, beef suya, lamb suya, isi ewu, nkwobi, fish pepper soup, yam pepper soup and assorted meat. We have like 63 items on our menu, but the main meals are about 40. It’s a lot but we cook them everyday.