EBENEZER SOGUNRO
chef ebz
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
Ebenezer Sogunro is the visionary chef and founder of Cally Munchy, an Afro-fusion food brand redefining how the world experiences African cuisine. Born in Nigeria and raised in Greenwich, his journey began in his grandmother’s kitchen, where simple tasks like peeling beans for moimoi became lessons in patience, heritage, and the joy of sharing food. Today, Ebenezer blends the bold, vibrant flavours of his roots with innovative global influences, crafting dishes that are more than meals, they are stories on a plate, celebrating culture, unity, and the beauty of culinary creativity.
Where It All Began
For Ebenezer Sogunro, food has always been about more than just eating, it’s been about family, friendship, and togetherness. Ebenezer was born in Nigeria and moved to the UK at a very young age with his younger brother, to live with their grandparents. His earliest kitchen memories were at his grandma’s house. If he wanted to play outside with his friends, there was one rule: peel the beans first. These beans would become moimoi, a much-loved Nigerian steamed bean pudding.
Eager to get outside to play with his friends as soon as possible, Ebenezer would rope in his friends to help. In those moments, beans on the table, laughter in the air, Ebenezer learned that food was never just about cooking. It was about togetherness, tradition, and the joy of sharing something you’ve created.
As the oldest sibling, he found himself cooking for his family, blending the Nigerian flavours he grew up with and the new tastes he was discovering. Those early days weren’t just about preparing food, they were about connection, culture, and community. As the eldest sibling, Ebenezer naturally became the family cook, carrying forward the flavours and traditions he grew up with while beginning to experiment with his own creative twists.
Why He Chose the Chef’s Path
Ebenezer’s passion for cooking grew into a purpose when he trained professionally at De Vere Academy and worked at Pinsent Masons. It was there that he recognised a gap—African and Caribbean cuisine was not represented on the fine dining stage in the same way as other global cuisines.
While Italian, Chinese, and Japanese food had widespread visibility, African cuisine remained largely under the radar, often limited by misconceptions and a lack of mainstream exposure. Ebenezer saw an opportunity to change that narrative, not by compromising tradition, but by reimagining it—bringing African flavours into modern, innovative contexts that could capture the imagination of a wider audience.
For him, becoming a chef was never just about perfecting recipes—it was about elevating heritage, creating bridges between cultures, and giving African cuisine the platform it deserves.
What he has done
In 2014, Ebenezer launched Cally Munchy as a mobile food stall, operating in places just as London Bridge, Canary Wharf, Kings Cross. His fresh approach turned heads, leading to collaborations with brands like Nike and paving the way for Cally Munchy’s food van at Westfield Shopping Centre, the first African food outlet in the centre’s history, experimenting with bold Afro-fusion dishes like jollof katsu curry.
Inspired by culinary trailblazers such as Bao London and pan-African collective Future Plates, Ebenezer introduced his signature Afro-Asian bao buns, with creations like tempura prawn and Nigerian efo (spinach stew), moimoi bao, and spiced chicken bao. Each dish tells a story of flavours crossing borders, traditions meeting innovation, and cultures uniting on a plate.
Today, Ebenezer’s vision is clear: for African cuisine to be as accessible and celebrated as any other in the world. Through Cally Munchy, he is building more than a food businesshe is crafting a movement, where every bite is an invitation to explore, connect, and celebrate culture.
