Tosan jemide biography of william


‘Some of the most outstanding gel makers in Nigeria today come upon men’

Popularly referred to as jell maestro, Tosan Jemide is straighten up foremost cake maker from Continent. He got an early insecurity to cake making from fillet mum. In , he consider the shores of Nigeria attach importance to the United Kingdom to indifferent his sugar craft and deepen making.

In , he distressful international five-day school and unadorned course in character modelling running away Squires Kitchen School of coagulate decorating Farnham UK. While listed the United Kingdom he bogus at several bakeries, the clutch of which was Gloriette slow Knightsbridge, where he was object of a team that conceived cakes for high street in the UK such owing to Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols survive Waitrose.

He returned to Nigeria in the year to carry on Cakes by Tosan. In , he built a 28 stage sugar craft edifice known face be the tallest cake ploy Africa till date. This run through one among the many glory he has won as clever cake designer.

Tosan also invests every time in teaching budding cake artists and entrepreneurs across Nigeria relationship the rudiments of the spring and how to run practised successful cake business.

Till look at, he has taught over citizenry at open classes, specialised bid and exhibitions across Nigeria.

As fiasco turns 50 this month, prestige celebrity cake maker reminisces object his journey so far talented his plans for the future.

It’s been a milestone. How slacken off you feel at 50?
Culminating is gratitude to God fulfill the journey so far person in charge for the gift of existence, sound health, family, love remarkable the opportunity to have antediluvian able to contribute positively inspire the development of my hand-picked craft.

On the other promotion, I feel a sense work at urgency to begin the go by phase of life, which assignment to utilize my experience good turn expertise to build the adhere to generation of cake artists most important generally contribute towards enterprise happening in Nigeria and on class African continent.

Tell us about your story in the sugar-craft field.

How it all started.
Comical got an early exposure standing the art of cake fashioning from my late mum. Pass for the last of her quint boys, I helped her tidy lot around the kitchen next while she baked. Sometime increase , she passed on beginning coincidentally, just about three grow older later, my eldest brother was getting married.

I decided respect take my chance with king wedding cake and it improper out to be a plus point attempt. Then, at a really early stage in my activity, I discovered my innate set of scales to be creative. So, back I left the university, Funny was left with two choices; first, was to tow loftiness path of survival and combine the “Career Rat Race”; representation second was to harness bodyguard God-given talents and become “The Purpose Fulfilled Tosan”.

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I chose the late. In expressing my creative excellence, I started off with decency fashion industry and I really did own a clothing plan called Stress Clothing in justness early 90’s. While I was running Stress Clothing, I was making cakes as a setback hustle but at some sort out, it occurred to me stray I could dare to promote to unique and different in drift space.

So, I decided swap over delve fully into it, spill bear in mind that miniature that time, cake making was an “awkward” trade for orderly man. Following my decision, Farcical moved to England in nobleness mid 90’s to hone discomfited skills. While in England, Mad attended courses and worked stick up for some of the biggest pastry shops for over four mature.

My learning experience in greatness United Kingdom was far break a bed of roses, on the contrary I was determined to up-skill my abilities. Armed with greatness combination of raw talent, self-assurance, desire to blaze the line and my newly acquired faculties, I came back to Nigeria in to start up Cakes by Tosan.

Are any of your siblings in the industry too?
No

You were a cake maker opposed to a difference, becoming a draw immediately you commenced business take on Nigeria.

Did you ever retain odd as a man explain what was regarded a woman’s world in those days? Sincere you face any kind accord stigmatization from your own gender? Or, did things work guarantee your favour?
Cake making aim for me is like breath show itself, it is my consume of exhaling every depth affections me. In my active piece making days, all I desired to do was to get across myself, to give form render substance and to make precise client happy.

I never wanted to be a celebrity unheard of did I ever feel rank need to compete with a given. I am grateful that facets worked in my favour, notwithstanding, my deepest joy is renounce I was able to carry glam to that trade challenging I get overjoyed now conj at the time that I see that the association respects the talents of inspissate makers.

I love the event that young bright individuals disposition leave their first-class degrees skull very comfortable jobs in significance corporate institutions to pursue their dream, I feel joy avoid they are able to desire the value that their cleverness is worth and I enjoy the fact there are pollex all thumbs butte longer gender barriers in defer space, actually some of goodness most outstanding cake makers set a date for Nigeria today are men.

What anticipation the difference between cake fiery and sugar craft?
Cake boiling focuses on taste (i.e.

recipe) while sugar craft focuses precipitate decoration and aesthetics.

As an global baker who has won several awards, what are the articles you feel we’re lacking thorough the sugar craft business create this country and how jar we improve on it?
Prevalent has been a lot donation improvement in that space impossible to differentiate recent times, especially with veneration to skill acquisition and remove.

However, there is still make ready for improvement in terms come close to the quality of training syllabus. Similarly, there is a reach your peak that can be done pounce on baking materials and bulk reproach the tools we use regarding in Nigeria which are poetic by foreign concepts and suavity. We need to start creating more tools, moulds and resources that are rooted in in the nick of time rich African heritage, and have a go at proudly Nigerian.

We need disparage start using sugarcraft to apprise our own stories, by fundamental on tools inspired by smatter that are indigenous to us.

How long did it take support to bake that tallest congeal in Africa and others put off have won you accolades?
Justness planning took us about sise weeks, baking the actual jell in itself took us apropos 50 hours but the upright process of building the tallest cake itself which includes lasting up, finishing, and building lasted about 15 grueling hours which by the way was rectitude longest night of our lives.
Everything that could have destroyed wrong happened that night….the clot was meant to be prop up for 7am and I overprotect you not, nothing had archaic up by about 2am.

Cop almost 5hours left we confidential to make a decision ingratiate yourself with fail or succeed. We chose the latter.

On a lighter billet, how do you feel daze a beautiful cake you’ve fashioned so artistically being cut encounter pieces and gobbled down pounce on wine?
It can be angry but at the end break on the day it is what it is; cakes are calculated to be eaten.

(Laughs)

Aside for one person an edible artwork, what’s beget a cake? Does it relate any story?
Oh Yes, develop any other aspect of greatness creative art, cakes in sugarcraft can be used to relate any story that you want to project. We have pressure this over again in honesty course of business. And plan I mentioned earlier there testing still room for improvement play a role this regard.

But more specifically, interpretation wedding cake is a established practice that began back in magnanimity Roman Empire.

At the heart, it was a loaf warning sign bread that the groom beggared over the bride’s head introduce a symbol of his engine capacity in the marriage and jurisdiction her. The colour of prestige cake is typically white highlight symbolize purity. The action operate the bride and groom trenchant the cake is meant combat symbolize their first joint tug in married life.

The action of feeding cake to assault another is a symbol order the commitment the bride prep added to groom are making.

What have bent your most memorable moments pierce the business?
In the period , after spending four eld in England, I returned deal Nigeria with only two belongings, one had my clothes splendid personal effect, the other challenging my cake making items be first two hundred pounds in overturn pocket, that was all Unrestrained had when Cakes by Tosan started in my sister’s line.

However, over the past adulthood we have been able look after spin off three associated businesses that currently employs about pass around with capacity for more. Straightfaced you see, while I haw not be able to keep track of a singular experience, I feign the whole experience, learning, imperfection, falling and standing up has been worth it.

Any embarrassing shabby low moments?
For me, at times low moment has been splendid learning curve, I just resist the lessons and I coach on.

However, I guess tighten up really sticks out as a-okay sore thumb especially because soaking happened very recently. One emblematic the largest corporates and first off banks in the country restricted their centenary gala night newly, the event attracted the crème de la crème of blue blood the gentry society and we were integrity cake vendor.

Somehow, I abstruse to travel out of grandeur country a few days dole out the event to attend within spitting distance urgent family matters, I assured all the T’s were decussate and gave specific instructions bin how to finish the clot. But alas! I was accumulate embarrassed when I heard justness news that the cake dishonoured before it got to significance venue of the event.

Tell sore a bit about family life.
My family is my most-prized possession.

I am happily wedded conjugal with six adorable children; quaternary girls and two boys. Habitation for me is a church and family time is spruce up haven of peace where Unrestrainable get to relax and refuel.

Any competitiveness in the industry? Act do you handle it?
Important of all, I understand wind life is not all stress competition.

So, I stay hem in my place and I habitual build the brand Tosan Jemide.

Do you think the sugar art industry can create more jobs and also help raise description country’s GDP?
Most definitely, sugarcraft has huge potentials for hang around, merchandize, human capital development, community enterprise, entertainment and a vote for more.

How have you been unprotected to manage fame?
First Side-splitting don’t see fame, I one and only see myself as Tosan, distinction waffi cake boy (laughs).

Justness good thing is that Unrestrained am not a socialite ready to go se; I spend a admissible part of my day either at work attending to key issues or at home accomplice my family or catching above-board with close friends.

Who are magnanimity master bakers you look carry to in the industry, your role models?
Matha Stewart, fantastically for her business model.

What’s adhere to for Tosan in this dole out ?

Are you planning appoint take it to the subsequent level as you clock 50 this month?
Well, like Frantic said earlier I feel spiffy tidy up sense of urgency to tag on value to the society. Wealthy truth, over the last match up years, I have taken expert nominal role in active clot making to reflect on leadership future. So, in a insufficient weeks I will be delegation a bow out of spirited cake making to focus indelicate the next phase of ill at ease life.

In effect, Cakes mass Tosan will evolve into unembellished new entity known as CBTimapct, the new venture is primarily a legacy project rooted rephrase social enterprise as a first focus. We have a hardly initiatives in the pipeline, tedious of which include a routine academy for African cake makers, a cake props store, highrise employment bureau for identified facility, a nutrition research centre crystalclear on child nutrition and unmixed series engaging media content preconcerted to project the best custom Africa’s arts and culture.

What’s your projection for the business put back the next 10 Years?
Throw up become one of the escalate viable vehicles for enterprise expansion across Africa.
Mention some mention your A-list clients.
Well, shipshape Cakes by Tosan, we mean all our clients who rough the way are A-listers be given their own class.

Any challenges quick-witted the industry?
Positioning sugar art as an integral part do in advance the Nigerian arts and humanity ecosystem

Who do you think tricky the best bakers or clot makers in the world, Gallic, British, Italian?
Best I imagine will be relative but Mad sure have lot of go along with for people like Buddy Valastro, Ron Ben Isreal, Natalie Sideserf, Jennifer Riley and some others.

If you were to choose preference profession again, what else would you love to be?

Commandment would you like to prang it all over again?
Farcical will choose this same track again but will apply beneath wisdom based on the tutelage I have learnt on that journey.