CHISOM NWANKWO (Tomato Jos)

Greatness, confidence and humility are very rare qualities to find in one person at the same time. but not our TOMATO JOS for this week. All of these wonderful things, can be easily found in her without looking too far. Say hello to Chisom Nwankwo.

Chisom is the CEO of Ciie Luxuries. A social impact business that teaches internally displaced women and girls how to handcraft fashion accessories from recycled waste fabrics. she also makes bespoke fascinatiors, amazing head pieces and luxury items. She is not  just in the business of doing business and making money,  but she wants to touch  and change lives. he is currently doing that as she has training centers in at least two IDP camps spread in Abuja, the federal capital territory of Nigeria.

Chisom thrives for excellence in her dealings, and this has earned her recognition with a lot of top clients in the fashion industry and business industry in  general. e.g; GT Bank and DHL.

She is married with three amazing daughters. On how she manages to take care of her family and still be a force in business, in her words, she said: "it is a juggle that requires practice, patience and planning".

On if she prefers to eat out or cook at home, she said:"aah who doesn't like to be taken out to dinner? but of course I love to cook for my family".
                                                                            

she said that cooking is one way of showing her family that she loves them so much, because it requires time, preparedness and patience. She said that cooking is a life skill.

on whether she can refer to herself as a foodie, she said she is not a foodie, but she likes good food. she said she has had an interesting food experience with food. in her words, "when I went to an Indian restaurant, omo na so pepper wan kill this Okigwe girl"

We are proud to celebrate this exceptional woman who creates all the magic in the kitchen, yet still contributes her quota in changing the world. she is our TOMATO JOS.

you can find her on Instagram:
@chisom.ih
@ciie.luxuries

                                                                                   written by: Ogbu Mary-Jane                            

Read More

CHIAGOZEM ADINDU (Tomato Jos)

Strength lies in the silent steps that a woman make. In her gentle smiles, in her determination and in her consistence. Our TOMATO JOS  for this week is one resilient, beautiful and strong woman. Her smile lights up a room, and her push and drive is one that is super infectious.

She is the perfect example of a multitasking woman that is gracious and excellent at what she does. Chiagoziem Adindu is a lawyer, a chartered company secretary, an entrepreneur and she also runs a non profit organization.

She is married and blessed with a son. She said that joggling marriage and career is as intense as it sounds. In her words, "prior to being a mommy, I felt"full time housewifeship" as I love to call it, was a demeaning term and not for the "the serious minded". However, after having my baby, I have developed an incredible respect for full time housewives. it is such a tedious job that ordinarily should not be combined with any other"

She said as difficult as it is, to her, having a career is as important as being called a mother, so she tries to balance it. She also said that having a supportive spouse and a great support system has played a very key role in her ability to manage every aspect of her life. Chiagoziem said that she is a firm believer in the fact that marriage or giving birth should not be a hindrance to achieving one's goals.

On food, Chiagoziem said she prefers to cook and eat at home for many reasons. in her words "there are many reasons to cook at home; first it is cheaper. I mean , I don't want to sound like an extremely frugal person but really I know how much goes back to my savings whenever I choose cooking at home over eating out.Secondly, cooking is one of my hobbies. I love trying out new recipes and adding twists to food. I particularly enjoy the sense of satisfaction I get when people eat my food and just end up in LaLA land".  One other reason why she said she prefers home cooked meals is that she is very finicky about cleanliness and food hygiene, so eating in helps her to ensure all that.

 "I won't describe myself as a foodie. I love to cook but don't like to eat as much. Plus watching my weight doesn't allow me such luxury''


On one funny experience she had with food, Chiagoziem said "I went to a proper Chinese restaurant with family. After the buffet, these Chinese men came and dropped these tiny looking cute things on our tables just as they brought the bill. I actually they were edible snacks so I reached out to unwrap one and eat. Just then, my little niece reached out, smashed one of them and brought out a written note in it. Apparently, it was a fortune cookie. I was too embarrassed to not laugh at my self".

One thing she said her mum taught her about food is not to stir the leaves immediately it is put into the soup. she said the steam should absorb the leaves first before it is stirred briefly and removed from the pot of fire. she said her mum believed that turning some leaves will leave the soup bitter or ruin the texture of the leaves.

We are very proud to celebrate this amazing woman. To this woman, who creates magic in the kitchen, yet contributes her quota to changing the world, we are excited that she is our  TOMATO JOS.

you can find her on Instagram:
@chi_tsi.

                                                                                                      written by Mary-Jane Ogbu.

Read More