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THE STORY OF MY LIFE....!

Emmanuel Oluwaseun Oke (christened Da Cakes Master) speaks with ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA on his rise from the back streets of Lagos to the summit of his craft and a much sought after confectioner.

Tentative beginning

It was a wet Monday morning and finding one’s way to the Odo Eran, Itire (a burstling suburb in Lagos) office of Emmanuel Oluwaseun Oke who is fondly called by his admirers, Da Cakes Master, the name which he has also adopted for his company formally known as Eni and Emmy Cakes and Confectioneries, was not an easy one.

The first commercial cyclist (okada) that I flagged down to ask for direction and possibly to lead one to the address (by the way, one is familiar with the geography of Itire and Odo Eran but not with his office address) gave the impression that the address was a long way from where we were just to justify the fare. But the second okada (motor cycle) rider was quite forthcoming and helpful as he offered a precise direction and on one’s insistence led the way to the street.

If you know the Itire end of Lagos so well, you would know that is not one of the high brow areas. But however, one was pleasantly impressed by Oke’s cute and finely laid office, which was a departure from what many of our bakers’ offices look like.

Quite a serene alcove, air-conditioned, impressive and colourful decor, everything seemed to be in place and also inviting. It is not surprising then that Oke has succeeded in turning this place into a creative sanctuary of some sort from where he conceptualises and creates many of his designs and works, which have made him the toast of many Nigerian celebrities.

After the exchange of pleasantries and a look around the small office, he led the way to the inner office, where he holds court. The dark-complexioned, hugely built baker does have a deep but not so guttural voice and is an interesting character to interview as he opens up on his life’s trajectory.

‘‘My name is Oke Emmanuel Oluwaseun, Da Cakes Master, the CEO of Eni and Emmy Cakes and Confectionaries,” he announces with relish. “I am into cakes, let me say I am a cake artist. I bake cakes, I design cakes and also teach people how to make cakes and how to become professionals.

Sugar-crafting, that is all I do.’’ How did it all begin for him? ‘‘It is a long story and a long journey also. Cake business was not originally my business. I am a model but I find it so interesting then and didn’t have full passion for it because of my modelling.”

He is actually from a family of bakers as his over 70-year-old mother who is now retired and enjoying the fruits of her labour, was a baker. While his younger siblings took after his mother, Oke decided on another path to fame. First, he took to the runway as a model and later got fully involved in the world of fashion as he acquired the skill for designing and tailoring.

According to his narration, he once owned a big fashion shop in Lagos but had to close shop in order to pursue his studies. After the completion of his studies, he kept on his chosen path, still refusing to take after his mother or younger ones who were earning a living from sugar crafting.

Coming into the world of pastries

He admitted that he has been involved with the cake business since 2007 but as fate would have it, his younger brother, Seye who was already established in the business was billed to travel in 2010 and he needed to entrust his business to someone to handle while away and the natural choice for him was his senior brother. Entrusted with the business, Oke decided to hone his skill further. ‘‘I watch programmes, read a lot of cake magazines, attended exhibitions and seminars and I watch a lot of programmes on Youtube and that is how I became my own master.’’

According to him, Seye on returning to the country saw the tremendous strides made by his brother, given this, he decided to move on to establish a new outfit, Sheyi Cake Boss, rather than take over the thriving cake business from him. ‘‘When he came back and he saw the progress that I have made he then decided to just allow me to continue with the business while he went to establish a new outfit for himself,’’ he says.

Struggle for fame

According to him, establishing a foothold in the business was not a challenging one but getting patronage was. ‘‘The only challenge I had then was that I didn’t have clients as expected because I was new in the business and nobody knew how good I was then. But I thank God that I was able to overcome that challenge because everything went successfully and I give thanks to God for it,’’ he said.

‘‘Before my first break I had a lot of disappointments because people would give orders or jobs to me only to cancel at the end of the day because they didn’t trust me to deliver on the jobs, which was very disappointing,’’ laments Oke. ‘‘But what really scared people away from me then was because of my price.

I told myself then that I wasn’t going to start with a lower price but higher price and I was sure then that people would tag me as very expensive and really people said then that I was too expensive. I wasn’t really bothered by the fact that people were running away because of the price. I just stuck to it.’’

Breakthrough

He recalls his first breakthrough after so many disappointments: ‘‘But my first break came from a lady who despite the price insisted that I should go ahead with the job. But at the end of the day she was so impressed by what I designed and she confessed that the price was worth it.

‘‘That was how I started and I said there was no going back on my price and that was why people tagged me as expensive cake master.’’ He concedes that coming this far has not been an easy task with criticisms and condemnations directed at him by competitors and others but he says he has learnt to take them in his strides:

‘‘There are a lot of competitors but one thing is that most of the competitors would criticise and condemn you just to bring you down and spoil your business. But I don’t really allow myself to be distracted by criticisms or what people say about me at all. I am a very focused and dedicated person.”

Creative impulses

He also reveals that his skill as fashion designer has been of tremendous help in his journey. ‘‘What makes it easier for me is the fact that growing up I learnt fashion design and had a very big shop with students and others. ‘‘So, it is the fashion aspect of my creativity which made it easier for me because I had already mastered how to design and create whatever shape or design that I want to achieve.

So that has helped me a lot in this business.’’ On how long it takes for his design to come to life, he says: ‘‘well, it depends on the design or the character that I am working on; otherwise, I don’t really spend much time or days on my creations. The time consuming aspect of this job is trimming the cake, which is the most difficult aspect of this sugar crafting business.

‘‘I don’t like people giving me what to design for them; rather, I like to come up with my own concept and design. So what I do most time is to ask people certain questions about the person who the cake is meant for. From the answers I gather, it becomes easier for me to come up with a concept and design for the cake.’’

Sex-themed designs

Every baker has his forte when it comes to conceptualising and designing his creations, but when it comes to Oke, he is known for what he describes as “sometimes very crazy and wild creations”. ‘‘What I love in sugar crafting is anything sexy, maybe model a topless female or with panties and bra. Something sexy, that is what I love most. I know what people like and what people want to see. People want to see something crazy and creative. The people who love cakes more are mostly women.

The world at his feet

Oke certainly is a dreamer who dreams of conquering the world of baking and etching his name in gold. ‘‘I have a dream and I know that my dream has not come true yet, so I am still working on it. I want to become the cake master that the whole world will be talking about.

I want to have a big school such that if anyone or cake baker doesn’t have certification from me then that person can’t be reckoned with. ‘‘That is what I am working on. I am taking this cake master name to a higher level and it will be registered in the heart of everyone. I am working on building a mansion with Da Cakes Master inscribed on it.’’

Capturing Nigerian celebrities

A celebrity baker, he recalls with mixed feeling the first Nigerian celebrity who gave him a job. ‘‘The first Nigerian celebrity that I created work for and who indeed promoted my job was a woman. (But he would rather not disclose her name) But along the line our relationship went sour.

I have tried to reconcile with her all to no avail but I will keep at it until she actually understands what led to the strained relationship and forgive me.” One other person whose contribution to his career path is also outstanding is Lanre Teriba (aka Atorise) whom he acknowledges for promoting his works over the years.

“Atorise did a broadcast of me which went viral, attracting thousands of people and I know how much I got from that. A lot of people started making enquiries about me just to know who I was and many of them actually decided to work with me. That is how I became a celebrity baker designing cakes for many Nigerian celebrities.”

Simply fascinated by celebrities

‘‘Many of the people don’t even know my office or where I work. We just talk on the phone and conduct our transactions on the phone.’’ He also reveals that ‘‘whenever I am invited to the event I normally attend but if not I don’t bother myself. I just deliver my cake and then off I go.

‘‘But I have a very cordial relationship with them, almost every one of them. Whether you give me job or not I like meeting celebrities because if you don’t give me job today then tomorrow could just be my day. Most of them don’t know me personally; all they know is just Da Cakes Master.

They could even see me on the road and walk or drive past me without knowing that I am the one.’’ The endless list of Nigerian celebrities that he has worked for include Pasuma, St Janet, Ayo Adesanya and lately, Tuface, who last month celebrated his 40th birthday. He had previously designed a birthday cake for him.

‘‘This was not the first time that I would be designing a cake for Tuface. That was actually the second cake, the 2013 birthday cake was designed by me but then he was not around for the celebration, it was his manager who organised the celebration. ‘‘For this latest celebration, the wife had made a surprise cake for him but it was his crew, which contracted me to design the cake for him and when they saw it people were impressed. They loved it so much.’’

Feeling good about it

Earning a celebrity status within such a short time ‘‘makes me feel good because we have a lot of bakers out there who are far better than me and looking for the opportunity to work with celebrities. ‘‘But God has so much made it easier for me to work with them, which I am forever grateful and proud of because without them there could have been nothing like Da Cakes Master.”

Huge potential in cake business

He laments that the government has neglected the confectionary sector, which he says has a huge potential to create job opportunities. ‘‘If I have the opportunity to talk to the world about cake business, a lot of people would want to go into it because there is money in cake business. It is very good, there is fame in cake business, there is money in cake business and there are a lot of opportunities in cake business.

International exposure

Seun and his brother have also benefited from national and international exposures through participation in seminars and workshops. The latest was the International Cakes Exploration Societee (ICES) 2015 annual convention and cake show held in Omaha, Nebraska, USA: ‘‘We really enjoyed and met a lot of people and that was where I met a lady that is based in New York known as NY Cake.’’

According to him, NY Cake is one of his inspiration and role models. After the event he travelled with Seye to New York where they spent some days working with her. ‘‘She taught us a lot of things. Working with white people was a great pressure and I loved it. We travelled on July 21 and returned on September 7.

‘‘There are a lot of role models or masters in this business that I am looking forward to meeting or working with. One of them is the one I regard as my mentor, Robin Israel, I love his roses and flowers. I have not met him but I have read a lot about him and we interact on facebook.

‘‘Another is Buddy, Cake Boss and he is from USA just like Robin. I gain a lot from Buddy’s TV programme. I met one of his colleagues during the conference. But in Nigeria the person I look forward to is Tosan. The man is very nice and everyone in Nigeria admires him and I love his creativity.”

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• EMMANUEL OLUWASEUN OKE Baking his way to fame