TOPLINE
KOLO Magazine walked into Regina Ehikodi-Ojo’s kitchen, but it didn’t feel like a kitchen anymore. It felt like a studio, a workshop, a small world where memories, flavors, and stories blend. And that’s exactly how the Foodies & Spice story began, with a woman who has been cooking since she was eight. Regina is more than a chef or a television host, she is a storyteller, an entrepreneur, and a trailblazer who has turned her childhood passion for cooking into a nationally recognized brand. CEO of Geenamoore & Associates and Managing Director of Foodies & Spice Nigeria Limited, Regina has spent over a decade bringing Nigerian cuisine and international flavors into living rooms across the country.
Her first meal was scent leaf soup. “I was a very picky child,” she says, laughing. “My
grandma cooked draw soup that day, and I didn’t like anything that draws. So, she told me, ‘Go and make your own food.’ That’s how I made my first soup.” From that day, she didn’t just eat food; she wanted to make it. That initial curiosity about ingredients and flavors grew into a skill, and that skill eventually became a career, even though the world first knew her as a lawyer. After law school, Regina worked in media and entertainment. She handled legal work, business development, and production, everything that built her understanding of how television works behind the scenes. But somewhere along the line, she felt a deeper nudge to create something of her own. She could cook, she understood production, and she wanted a show she could build without waiting for anyone. “So I decided to start with food,” she says. “It felt easier for me to produce.”
But what really pushed her into action was personal loss. “I lost my dad,” she says softly. “That moment changed me. He had dreams he didn’t get to accomplish. I told myself, I won’t procrastinate anymore.” She once dreamt of an Oprah-style talk show, but she didn’t want to wait for the perfect set, a large crew, or big sponsors. She started with what she had: a kitchen, a camera, and a gift she had carried since childhood. That was the birth of Foodies & Spice.
In the early days, her chairman at work asked her a question that tested her resolve: “Can you sustain 50 recipes in a year?” Her answer was immediate. “This show will surpass one year. I’ll be 100 years old, and Foodies & Spice will still be on TV.” Since then, she has created hundreds of recipes: Nigerian, Middle Eastern, European, Asian, many inspired by her travels. She has filmed food expeditions in France, Dubai, South Africa, Azerbaijan, China, and other countries. “When I travel, I eat everything, street food, local dishes, fancy restaurants, anything I can learn from. Then I come home and recreate it with Nigerian ingredients.” To stay creative, she develops themes each season: Soup & Swallow, Pasta Party, We All Love Rice. Each theme guides her recipes and gives viewers something to anticipate. The current season celebrates soups from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, a full homage to local flavors.
On the business side, Regina understood content long before she started filming. TV
production is expensive, but she built a structure where adverts and brand integrations sustain the show. A quick glance around her kitchen studio tells the story: branded ingredients, neatly arranged products, and everything ready for the next episode. When asked for her go-to ingredient, she laughs. “Salt. Even cake needs a little salt.” Her advice to young chefs is simple: “Know why you’re doing it. That reason will keep you going. Be consistent. Viewers don’t care if you’re tired; they tune in expecting the same energy.” The show airs on 16 TV stations across Nigeria. If one episode is missing, viewers flood her social media instantly. What sets her apart, she says, is originality. “When I started, nobody was doing what I was doing. There was no TikTok, no Instagram Reels, no food influencer trend. We were creating high-quality food content for TV before the internet made it easy.”
She smiles as she describes it: “We were the experiments. Now people have templates.
They can cook from their house and go viral” Even after so many years, she still doesn’t copy anyone. “I’ve trained my mind to come up with something new every time.”
Choosing a favorite meal is difficult for someone who has tasted food across continents, but she admits one truth: “I love swallow and soup. I love Banga soup.” On this shoot, she is making Ibagba Ofofo, an okra pepper soup from Delta State.
“I’m Bendel, Born in old Bendel State before it became Edo and Delta. My bloodline is in both.” As the interview winds down, the crew gets ready, the kitchen lights warm up, and the familiar Foodies & Spice energy fills the space.
