The Food Chain So you think you can't cook?
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Apr 8, 2026 Pak Wai Hung, restaurateur who learned to cook later and built a community-minded restaurant. Tokunbo Kwaki, caterer and London African Food Week founder bringing Nigerian flavours to everyday cooking. Robin Van Creveld, founder of Community Chef teaching practical skills. They talk about building confidence, essential basics like knife skills, rice and eggs, simple impressive meals, and the social benefits of community cookery.
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University Tuna Pasta Disaster Sparked Learning
- Pak Wai Hung discovered cooking as a necessity when he left catered boarding school at university and initially failed at simple dishes.
- He taught himself from his wife’s father (a Merchant Navy chef) and Delia Smith’s cookbook, turning disaster into a restaurant career.
Fried Plantain Moment Turned Chore Into Joy
- Tokunbo Kwaki shifted from seeing cooking as a chore to enjoying it after watching a friend relish simple fried plantain and Nigerian egg.
- That moment gave her confidence that her food could make people happy and launched her culinary path.
Start With Knife Skills And A Simple Soup
- Robin Van Creveld starts beginners with knife skills then a simple soup like minestrone to teach base flavours, nutrition and technique.
- Teach a mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery), use Parmesan rinds for stock depth, and build rudiments before complex dishes.
