Kamloops restaurant owner aiming to break Guinness World Record, feed the city, inspire single mothers

Oladipo plans to cook for 300 hours, starting the marathon on Wednesday [July 30] and finishing on Aug. 12, needing 14 days to hit the mark because break time does not count toward the time target.

She will accumulate five minutes of respite for every hour worked.

“I also know the power of the mind and the power of sheer determination,” Oladipo said, noting she will lean on the experience of enduring long stretches of work during her former career as a nurse. “I’m very determined and I have a tribe of people behind me. I cannot let myself, my son, my family and everybody that believes in me down, so that alone is enough to push me through.”

Regular fare at Afrofusion includes African cuisine and Western cuisine with an African twist, but the kitchen is going global over the next two weeks.

Oladipo plans to cook grub from 195 countries and prepare more than 15,000 dishes.

She said a bounteous portion of the abundance of food churning out of the kitchen will be distributed to the homeless by representatives from Casa Décor, a Kamloops business partnering with Afrofusion during the marathon.

“I feel like God gave me the ability or I have the skill to be able to do something that is so crucial to the human experience in a way that nourishes the soul and the body,” Oladipo said. “Cooking, to me, is also very spiritual. I love the fact that I can make something and give it to someone as an act of love and give it to someone and they are nourished. They feel good.”

The food will be available for free or by donation to anyone – around the clock — and proceeds will go toward a fund that will help 10 families in need, five each from Canada and Nigeria.

“I feel like it’s going to be a win for Kamloops, a win for the homeless and a win for people who can’t afford food, but also for people who can afford it,” Oladipo said. “It had a lot of positive ideas and I felt standing for 300 hours would be worth it.”

The Afrofusion owner is from Kwara State in western Nigeria, where she cooked for her community each Thursday before a philanthropist financially backed her move to Canada and paid for her nursing education at TRU.

“It’s an emotional story,” she said. “My dad would tell everyone that would listen, ‘I have a daughter and she’s so brilliant, but I can’t help her. She has a bigger dream.’ He was just looking for help. I think it also taught me about speaking out.”

Oladipo is searching for volunteers to ensure the record is verified, with Guinness requiring two independent witnesses to be at Afrofusion at all times during the marathon.

Those wishing to check on marathon progress can log on to the livestream on the Ninth Lab YouTube page. Oladipo is also active on Instagram and TikTok.

“There’s a lot of people in the kitchen and this is not even one per cent of the people who are coming to help,” Oladipo said, pointing to friends and volunteers. “I’m so grateful that people have signed up their time and effort to pursue this dream with me.”

by Marty Hastings

Kamloops restaurant owner aiming to break Guinness World Record, feed the city, inspire single mothers

Our Community