From Lagos Kitchens to Hollywood Tables: Chef Tolu Eros on Building Africa’s Culinary Future | Afropolitan Podcast

They don’t call him The Billionaire Chef for nothing.

From baking cookies in a shared apartment kitchen to shutting down Coachella with a 325-person jollof dinner, Chef Tolu Eros is building a food empire rooted in memory, movement, and cultural power.

In this episode, Eros opens up about his extraordinary journey—losing both parents while building his dream, launching global food brands from scratch, and turning grief into gastronomic greatness.

This is more than a conversation about food. It’s about how culture scales—and the boldness required to make Africa the center of the table.

Want to connect 1:1 with Africa's boldest thinkers?* Book a 15-minute convo on https://convo.vip/ with leaders like Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Asa Asika, and more.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• How Eros built Cookie Jar from pre-orders and prayer

• The spiritual and emotional cost of building a legacy brand

• Why Nigerian restaurants must stop trying to please everyone

• Behind the scenes of the Chase x Michael B. Jordan campaign

• What it takes to launch Nigeria’s first Fufu Omakase experience

• Why African cuisine is the next billion-dollar cultural export
  
  

📍 Chapters

00:00 – Intro & Opening
01:48 – From Apartment Bakery to Cookie Jar: The Hustle Begins
03:41 – Why Most Nigerian Restaurants Fail
05:39 – The Power of Specialization: Pasta Kings & Purpose
07:54 – A Mother's Dream, A Son's Calling
10:42 – Building Through Grief: Losing Both Parents
13:30 – Leadership at 21: Shouting, Staff & Self-Discovery
15:30 – Letting Go: Loss, Logistics, and Knowing When to Quit
17:36 – The Breakfast Business That Almost Broke Him
19:47 – Food as a Cultural Ambassador
21:25 – The Culinary Industry is Still a Baby
23:34 – Social Media Changed the Game for Chefs
25:12 – Pandemic Pivot: How Fresh Prep Was Born
27:01 – 3 Cities, 1 Dream: How Pop-Ups Became a Movement
31:51 – Coachella Chaos: 325 Guests, No Leftovers
35:22 – The Visa Story That Changed Everything
39:26 – On Set with Michael B. Jordan: A Commercial Goes Global
41:40 – Investing in African Gastronomy: What’s Missing?
43:18 – Solving Farm-to-Table in Nigeria
45:06 – Cookie Jar, Reimagined for the Continent
47:14 – America vs. Nigeria: Where the Future Really Is
49:02 – Apartment 90: Nigeria’s First Fufu Omakase
51:28 – Managing Staff, Mental Health & Money
55:12 – The Real Cost of Doing Business in Nigeria
57:50 – Documentation Over Vibes: How to Stay Consistent
59:22 – The Origin of “The Billionaire Chef”
61:16 – What’s Next: Fashion, Furniture, and Expansion

🔗 Follow the Journey

• Chef Tolu Eros: @thebillionairechef

• Updates: @ile.eros | @apartment90 | @cookiejarng

🎧 Listen & Subscribe

• YouTube • Spotify • Apple Podcasts

About Chef Tolu Eros:
Known as The Billionaire Chef, Tolu Eros has redefined how African cuisine shows up in the world. Whether it’s luxury dining in Los Angeles, street food reimagined in Lagos, or starring alongside Michael B. Jordan, Eros is turning flavor into legacy.

About the Afropolitan Podcast:
Global Black culture isn’t a trend. It’s a frequency. Each week, we sit with the architects of modern African influence—from food to fashion, tech to television—to explore what it means to live beyond borders.