The much-anticipated KidsCook Showdown, a creative and educational cooking competition designed to foster leadership, teamwork, and responsibility among children, was held on November 20, 2025, at Canaanland Event Center, Ojodu, Lagos.
The debut edition featured 10 pupils aged 6 to 8 from five schools across Magodo and Omole — Unique Group of Schools, Distinct Star Schools, Olivefields School, Holiness Redeemers School, and Leso Rond Schools.
Guided by professional chefs, the children worked in teams to prepare creative dishes while being evaluated on teamwork, confidence, communication, presentation, and time management.
A distinguished panel of judges — Chef David Nuriel, Chef Asatta Allwell-Brown, and Chef Chika Melah — evaluated the young contestants, offering expert culinary insights and encouraging them throughout the competition.
After an intense and engaging cook-off, Leso Rond Schools were crowned the overall winners, earning a cash prize of N500,000. Holiness Redeemers School took second place with N250,000, while Unique Group of Schools claimed third place, winning N125,000.
Director of Dominion Consultancy Concepts and convener of KidsCook Showdown, Enitan Tanimowo, said the initiative was created to encourage youngsters to participate in cooking, helping them cultivate responsibility, confidence, and essential life skills early in life.
Tanimowo stated that the event fostered family bonding, mentorship, and social learning, as teachers, parents, and culinary professionals cheered on the young contestants in an atmosphere of encouragement and discovery.
“KidsCook Showdown offers children a chance to develop leadership, creativity, and accountability in a fun, inspiring environment, helping to shape well-rounded individuals for the future,” she said.
“Our goal is to inspire children to view cooking not just as a chore, but as a fun and creative way to express themselves, learn discipline, and build confidence. Research indicates that over 75% of children between the ages of 6 and 8 miss out on opportunities to engage in household tasks.
“KidsCook Showdown addresses this gap by making learning enjoyable. In addition to cooking, this program supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3 and SDG 4) by promoting good health, well-being, and quality education through practical, hands-on activities.”
