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.

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MARTHA RRAZI (tomato Jos)

When great men and women of the world dreamed of empires, the world thought them stupid or rather dreamers. the audacity to build empires, has always been in the heart of courageous ones who dare to do the extraordinary. Our TOMATO JOS of the week is Martha Rrazi. Martha is a woman who is not only courageous to dream, but she also has the audacity to do what others fear to do.

say hello to our TOMATO JOS of the week. she is the C.E.O of Akara Cafe. also known as Bean Bag. Martha's vision is to be to Akara what Star bucks is to coffee. such statement of vision doesn't come small, and Martha works hard to ensure that she drives this dream to reality.

she is a single parent, and although she said it has not been easy to be an entrepreneur whilst taking care of her child, in Martha's words, "an entrepreneur has got to do what an entrepreneur has got to do". Martha said she doesn't mind eating out. it just depends on her mood. she said she enjoy to entertain, so she especially cooks when she has guests. she said she also enjoys discovering new food spots so she likes to eat out too.

on an interesting food experience, in her own words; "once I got a pasta gift, like a sack of pasta. I ate so much pasta, I started even giving it out, but it still wouldn't finish. so I decided to make coconut pasta how we make coconut rice.....Let us just say, I learned something about pasta that day. no one ate my coconut pasta".

one of the things that you can be sure to eat when you visit the Akara Cafe is pancake. and Martha has her own DIY recipe here:

PANCAKE
3 cups of flour
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1\2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoon of oil
3 cups of water

mix until smooth, grease pan and fry.

for the Akara recipe,  you have to visit the cafe.

her favorite quote is"I love you more than Akara'" said no one ever"

we are proud to celebrate this wonderful, hardworking and exceptional woman. to this woman who does magic in the kitchen, yet is contributing her quota to changing her world, you are our TOMATO JOS.

you can find her in instagram:
@akara_cafe
@martha_rrazi

                                                                                                written by Mary-Jane Ogbu.

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NINA CHIMA (tomato Jos)

When you hear of the words "make up artist" what exactly comes to your mind? Brushes? Colors and blushers? Think again! Make up is art. And like every other art, it takes patience consistence and dedication to be a master at it. And truly, that's what our TOMATO JOS of this week has succeeded in doing. She has mastered the art of not just make up, but the very art of making the face a canvas, and turning it into a master piece.

Say hello to Nina China. Nina is a makeup artist extraordinare. She is a talented, beautiful yet humble make up artist. Her excellence in her craft, has earned her some high end client. She is very jovial, friendly and loves her job.

On food, Nina is a foodie. She likes to cook at home, because according to her, "a home cooked meal is always the best" Nina likes to cook meals, but aside that, she likes to feed people.

She said she cooks so well, that people ask her if she cooks with sugar. She said it is always surprising, but she doesn't mind it. Nina is single but she still prefers to eat at home, rather than eat out. Cooking is one of her hobby, and she enjoys it along side swimming and her job.

This week we celebrate an iconic and hardworking woman. She is brave, strong, beautiful and has all the qualities of a TOMATO JOS. Here's to a woman who creates magic in the kitchen, yet contributes her quota to changing the world.

You can find her on Instagram :
@ninaspecialbeauty

                                                                                        Written by Mary-Jane.

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DAFWAT SENDI DANJUMA (Tomato Jos)

When you hear of Sendi Dafwat, just know that  you have heard about a beautiful driven woman. Sendi is a serial entrepreneur. She is the C.E.O of Urban Afrik, a fashion company that infuses African and Urban style together. She is a lover of self development, as she is currently studying for her MSC. Sendi is one of those women that you see, and their drive and push, encourages you to want to do more.

She is single, but loves to cook at home. She prefers home cooked meals and likes to try out recipes. Sometimes, she said. I just listen to the voices in my head, and create great amazing meals. I just decide to add what I have never added before, and surprisingly, great meals come out of them.

Sendi considers her self a foodie. She said cooking is her hobby, and she likes to cook. She said she is very picky when it comes to food, and she likes to cook at home.

On how she learnt to cook, she said her mother taught her, and one skill that she learnt from her mom, which she hasn't forgotten till now, is the art of cooking great draw soup. In her words, "My Mum taught me how to make draw soup(okro especially). In other to make it draw very well, palm oil should be the last thing you would add. It works magic."

You can find her on Instagram
@urbanafrik_
@senciousleyon

This woman who creates magic in the kitchen, and still does her bit to change the world, is our TOMATO JOS. and we are proud to celebrate her.


                                                                                                                           Written by Mary-Jane.

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JOYCE DASER ADAMS. (Tomato Jos)

Every week, we have an array of beautiful exceptional women that we like to celebrate. This week is no exception, as we celebrate the beautiful Joyce Daser Adams. Engr Joyce is an automobile mechanical engineer and also an entrepreneur. She has a foundation, where young girls are trained on the best and advanced way of being a mechanic. She seeks to

change the narrative, that women cannot succeed as automoblie mechanics and the impression that only men can be great in it.

Joyce is married with three beautiful girls, and she loves her family. On being able to cope with career and family, she said it hasn't been easy, but she has a supporting husband who makes it easy. She likes to cook. Even though it is not her hobby, she derives satisfaction from feeding her family. She said she has always been a home girl. Been the first daughter, she has always cooked and learnt first hand from her mother.

On a funny experience she has had from food, she said; "Hahahaha.... Okay, one time I had guest over for dinner, I had bragged so much about the food I was going to serve them. It was a coconut rice recipe I saw online. I should have done a trial before that day but I didn't. I guess I was over confindent or carried away, it didn't turn out well and after keeping them for long I ended up taking them out."

Joyce prefers to cook at home, rather than eat out. She said home cooked meals are the best.

Joyce has a favorite meal, and would love to share the recipe.

It's a traditional recipe from my home town in Plateau State. I modified it a little although the original recipe is great too.

RECIPE
Acha or Local Rice
Beef/Chicken stripes or shredded
Salt
Seasoning cubes
Veg. Oil
Carrot
Green beans
Green bell pepper
Red bell pepper
Yellow bell pepper
Tomatoes
Scotch bonnets
Onions.

METHOD
1. Cook the rice as you would your regular white rice or if it's the acha, cook it using steaming method.  Set aside
2. All the veggies should be cut in Julien stripes except the onions which will be chopped.
3. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions, add the beef or chicken or goat meat and stir till it browns.
4. Remove from oil and set aside. Pour in the veggies and stir fry, seasoning it to taste.
5. Add the meat and stir till well combined.
6. Taste and correct seasoning.
7. Serve with  Acha or white rice garnished with chopped Parsley.

This great woman, who can create magic in the kitchen, yet still change the world, is our TOMATO JOS.  She deserves to be celebrated, and we are proud to celebrate her.

You can find her on Instagram
@autoladyjoyce
@autoladyinspire.               
                                                                                                                             Written by Mary-Jane.

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COFFEE IN YOUR POCKET

How would you feel like to have coffee in your pocket? To have access to coffee every time you want it? And not just any kind of coffee, but the specialty Arabica coffee. Affordable, easy to brew and readily available?
How would all these make you feel?

What's in it for you?

Nice! Everyone likes these questions:
What do I gain?
Why do I need it?
Is it truly necessary?
What's in it for me?
Man is naturally self-centered. It takes a lot of consciousness to think outside of himself and his needs. Man wants to satisfy his desire. So anytime he has to choose between choices, his first instinct is geared towards what's in it for him. This is not bad in itself. It's just the way it is.

Additionally, it is good for one to look out for himself. In the process of trying to be selfless, we end up forgetting ourselves. So whenever you catch yourself asking this question of "what's in it for me", do not berate yourself. Do something for you. And when you catch yourself asking what's in it for me, as regards Oavalze coffee, let us answer you comfortably.

• Specialty Arabica coffee
• Energy on the go
• Alternative excitement
• Alertness.

And much more......

Why is this different?

Here is why this is different:
Most coffee in the market is not specialty coffee. They are instant coffee alright. But they rob you off the pleasure of real coffee. Coffee commands your whole senses. First your eyes sees the black rich color, next your nose smells the strong soothing smell, and when you taste it, your taste buds come alive with the exceptional bitter unique taste. Once the bitter taste lasts on your tongue, there is a zing that your skin feels as you come alive. Instant coffee with its poor quality coffee cannot do that for you.

We understand! Sometimes you do not have the time to brew, or a coffee shop is far from you, yet you need coffee. And not just any kind of coffee, real coffee.

Welcome to the revolution. Coffee in your pocket. Easy to brew, specialty coffee, affordable and accessible. Just dip in a cup of hot water and watch your senses come alive.

Written by Mary Jane.

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A LITTLE TOUCH OF GREEN.

When you live in a country like Nigeria, the last thing on your mind is vegetable. Not because of the lack of availability, but because of the lack of funds. Vegetables are considered a luxury, especially when there's limited fund and the belly just wants to be full. After all, vegetables are not filling.

Our meals in this part of the world, are mostly staple. From garri, to tuwo, to yam to the popular rice. Starchy meals that make up more than 60% of our meals. Even when it comes to protein, we prefer meat (beef) to eggs, beans and fish, which are considered healthier sources of protein.

Before urbanisation invaded our communal and small satisfactory way of living in Nigeria, our parents ate fruits and vegetables. Not like it was a deliberate effort to balance every meal, but it was an innate tendency to eat fruits and vegetables which were easily accessible

One would have thought that, with education and health enlightenment, we would be deliberate about balancing our every meal by always including our greens. But like every good thing, urbanisation came with its bad side.

The fast paced life, the competitive life, the hustle and the bustle of everyday, has greatly affected our eating lifestyle. Most people are not concerned about eating green. The era of gardens and planting a little vegetable here, and a little vegetable there has been wiped off.

Not only do we not have time to own gardens these days, we have also lost the patience to wait for our vegetables and fruits to ripen naturally. We pluck them prematurely, and force them to maturity, with chemicals that are eventually dangerous to the health.

Therefore, when we remember to eat our vegetables, we are not quite certain if we are eating all the complete nutrients that nature allotes to them, as a reward for the patience to completely mature, or we are eating just some of the nutrients that was given by nature, before they were raped of the remaining nutrients because of our impatience.

Still, a meal is not ready, never complete without a little touch of green here, and a little touch of green there. For nature itself is green, and she wants to live inside of us. After all, weren't we made to co-habitate?           
         
                                                                                                                            Written by Mary Jane.

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