Chef Grace OdogbiliPhoto: Couresy of Dining With Grace Inc.
How she got her start: "My background in the event and food industry actually started as a career change after a layoff during the 2008 financial crash. I was working in trading operations but my heart was always in hospitality. [I attended] culinary school on the weekends during one summer (a 25th birthday gift from my big sister!), Essentials of Fine Cooking at the former French Culinary Institute.
After the 'devastating' layoff, I didn’t truly want to find another job in finance and pulled myself together to launch Dining With Grace in 2009. From there, I started catering small-scale events, sold celebration buttercream layer cakes, worked gigs for other caterers, taught culinary arts in after-school programs, and even worked the overnight shift in a wholesale bakery—all while enrolled in a hospitality management program at a local community college to further my education. It was giving 'hustle-mania!'
It was in the library of the hospitality department that I had an inspired moment when I stumbled across a few books on African cuisine. As a Nigerian American, I realized I loved the industry and the finesse of the techniques of 'fine' cooking, but didn’t feel represented.
My catering concept started off quite broad; I could do Italian, Asian, American, Mexican, French... but any culinary school graduate could attempt versions of that. After opening a few books and seeing foods and ingredients that connected to memories I loved, my heart made a decision on that fateful day to focus on Pan-African cuisines. Very few people really knew what that was at that time, but I was inspired by the popularity of Pan-Asian cuisine to push the narrative. I was excited that this included Mediterranean, South American, soul food, and so much more; I had a lot to play with!
My family foods and favorite food memories were African and Caribbean, and I became excited to represent that in Dining With Grace. I was essentially exploring my own story through food as a first-generation Nigerian/African born in America."
What sets her company apart: "We love soul nourishment. Good, delicious, quality food is a good start, but when it also speaks to your culture, it’s another level of soul care. It’s been exciting to see multicultural couples experiencing truly traditional flavors done professionally and in an inspired fashion to highlight their lifetime celebrations! We really are passionate about making that lasting impression.
It’s also really fun to offer new and bold flavors and dishes to our corporate clients. We love a deliciously unforgettable catered experience. While we specialize in Pan-African cuisines, we truly take a local, global, and fusion approach to menu planning to best suit the needs of our unique clients. We just love great food, desserts, and hospitality—but with some Afrobeats on it!" 
"It’s really fun to offer new and bold flavors and dishes to our corporate clients," says Odogbili.Photo: Courtesy of Dining With Grace Inc.
What innovation means to her: "I actually think the foundation of innovation is being true to yourself. We are all so unique—our individuality, emotions, tastes, inspirations, cultures, family life, travels, etc. We are all naturally innovative because that is embedded in us as humans. We start to lack innovation when we focus too much on being like other people.
I think to be innovative you must think of your dream experience and make it happen for other people. I love Japanese food, I love cake, I love jollof rice and Nigerian soups—I’m gonna find a way to offer that to my clients because, as a basis, I offer what I love.
Innovation also comes from exposure and curiosity. After reading and learning about the diversity of Pan-African cuisines, I wanted to explore it through my love for travel and hospitality. I actually spent a few years co-hosting group culinary trips called The African Table: Epicurean Excursions, where we’ve traveled (so far) to Martinique and Tanzania to explore the food, culture, and lifestyle. It was supposed to be a new destination each year, but I loved Tanzania and Zanzibar so much I took a group there two years in a row—this year will be the third time.
Lastly, innovation comes from continued education and development. It’s important to learn the foundations of the business so that we can have the creative bandwidth to innovate. In 2022, during the pandemic, I decided to attain certification as a Certified Wedding & Event Planner (CWEP). I knew this would help me become a better asset as a leader and to best assist my clients. After over 12 years in business, I know a catering company is not simply all about the food, but also the client and vendor relations and professional service."
Memorable moments: "One of my favorite dishes was actually a small plate I made for the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) 2019 Spring Gala: Africa to America. It was an amazing celebration of Africa’s contributions to American cuisine. My theme was rice. I created an inspired small plate: warm jollof rice salad. It was a plant-based version of Nigerian jollof rice in a rice paper shell. The rice was enhanced by mushroom powder, seaweed, and smoked Maldon salt to give a wonderful umami, without the use of artificial stock cubes traditionally used. We drizzled with a beautiful palm oil-scotch bonnet aioli and microgreens. It came out brilliantly."
Her all-time favorite food: "This is hard. I love sushi, calamari, mussels, crabcakes, and tuna tartare. I also love a good dessert, but my all-time favorite food is a traditional Nigerian dish that Mama Odogbili (my mom!) makes called ogbono soup. It is a delicious soup made with the seed of a bush mango (ogbono seed), blended with crayfish, and simmered with various meats, smoked fish, and shrimp with leafy greens and okra. I have read that it is the West African ancestor to gumbo! We eat it with eba, a kind of cassava-based cooked dough that you dip in the soup."
Her biggest hope for the F&B industry: "My hope is that people within the industry, including myself, learn to better tend to themselves—physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and financially—so that we can best enjoy this life of service and have it overflow to those we live with, work with, and serve.
We are actually here to bring joy to people—a social service. We have great intentions. The work is challenging but it is compelling, and we need to survive in order to do it. What would happen if we thrive? Every industry and every culture (good or bad) starts with the individual. The pandemic has taught many of us to take the moment to fix the problems or it will eventually catch up to us."
