Member Spotlight: The Flygerians

Jo and Jess aren’t just cooking Nigerian food, they’re on a mission for world domination, one plate at a time. Born from a promise to honour their grandmother’s legacy, The Flygerians is more than a restaurant; it’s a celebration of Nigerian culture, community, and the belief that everyone deserves a seat at the table.

With their infectious energy, signature dishes like “2 Fly Chicks” and “Jollof & Beef Suya,” and a newly published cookbook, these two larger-than-life sisters are redefining what it means to share heritage through food. Their motto says it all: “Chop life before life chops you.”

We caught up with the duo behind the business for our latest Member Spotlight feature.

Take us back to where it all started and why you launched your own business?

We’re two larger-than-life sisters on a mission: to bring the soul, flavour, and fire of Nigeria to the UK and beyond. World domination is our aim. Our vision isn’t small. It’s world domination through food and we’re doing it one unforgettable dish at a time.

The Flygerians was born from love, legacy, and a promise to keep our grandma’s spirit alive. She taught us that everyone regardless of race, gender, or identity deserves a seat at our table, to be fed with abundance, and wrapped in love. And that’s exactly what we’ve built: a space where joy is mandatory, community is real, and the mmotto is simple: “Chop life before life chops you.”

What do I absolutely need to try off your menu?

You have to go for our best-sellers: 2 Fly Chicks for the sweet lovers, and Jollof & Beef Suya for the spice seekers.

• 2 Fly Chicks: Named after us, the dynamic duo. Two pieces of chicken smothered in mama’s forbidden sauce, served with our famous smokey jollof rice (Keith Lee, Giggs, and Sadiq Khan approved), topped with plantain and our supa dupa hot sauce.
• Beef Suya: Soft, tender ( because we don’t believe in breaking your teeth with tough meat in 2025) , perfectly cooked, coated in our traditional smokey suya spice a homage to our roots in Lagos. Served with our famous smokey jollof rice, plantain, and supa dupa hot sauce.

Biggest misconception about Nigerian food?

People often think Nigeria is one culture, one story, one type of food. Truth is, Nigeria is massive and wildly diverse: over 250 ethnic groups, countless languages, religions, foods, and traditions. Lagos alone feels like a different universe compared to Abuja, and both are worlds apart from Benin, Enugu, Kano, or Port Harcourt.

Our food isn’t just spicy it’s layers of sweet cultural heritage, whispers of our ancestors, and rhythms of taste dancing across every dish. Nigerian culture is creative, entrepreneurial, hilarious, and relentless. Misconception: one-dimensional. Reality: one of the most culturally rich, dynamic, and influential countries in the world.

What do you love about working in the sector?

The people. Sharing our grandma’s legacy means everything to us. She was a woman of the people, uplifting her community and we live to do the same. We work with young offenders, teach kids to cook sustainable Nigerian meals, partner with Age UK, and run workshops with Soundcloud London, Sadiq Khan (who we now lovingly call Oluwasadiq), and major brands like Nike, Dr. Martens, and Salesforce.

Now, in partnership with the MOBOs, we’ve opened a new location. Every milestone, every achievement, has been blessed by our community chefs, families, youth, and strangers who became family. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.

What do you find most challenging about the sector?

Hospitality isn’t for the faint-hearted. Every day brings new challenges. Cash flow, partnerships, and fresh ideas require relentless energy. But we embrace the highs, the lows, and everything in between with a smile, faith, and a determination to lift our culture and community with us.

What do you hope the future holds for the business?

World domination. We want The Flygerians to be a household name in the UK, with sauces in every kitchen, a TV show called Cook with The Flygerians, and restaurants in every major UK city, Lagos, and New York.

Name a song you can’t help but dance to in the kitchen

It has to be Iskaba by Wande Coal our grandma’s favourite, alongside Fela Kuti’s Zombie. These anthems define family gatherings, Christmas dinners, and all our happiest kitchen moments. Add some mulled wine, a tipple of Covs, and it’s pure joy with siblings, parents, and our amazing boyfriends dancing alongside us.

Guilty food pleasure

Jo: Crisp! Especially sweet Thai chili Macoys.

Jess: Cheesecake, chocolate fondant, and Ben & Jerry’s any time, any day. Also love their ethical and social push for change. Goals!

Top career highlights

Writing The Flygerians Cookbook was essential it wasn’t just recipes, it was our story. Food has always been how our family loved, healed, and connected. We wanted to bottle that feeling for the next generation.

We didn’t see enough Nigerian cookbooks that were modern, fun, or reflective of our upbringing two sisters raised on tradition, living in a British world. This book honours our grandma, celebrates our culture, and shows that Nigerian food is vibrant, versatile, and full of heart. It’s a love letter to home, a bridge between cultures, and an invitation to cook with confidence, pride, and joy.

If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?

• Jo: I work for the NHS as an occupational therapist. Helping people fulfils me just like The Flygerians does.
• Jess: I’d be an astronaut. Space fascinates me I’d open a Flygerians on the moon if I could! There is life out there and I’d find it!

Advice to start-ups

Show up for yourself. You have everything you need to succeed. Break the glass ceilings, create your own table, aim for the moon, and do it all with love. The money will come, the dreams will come just have faith, patience, and never give up.

Favourite independents to eat at on a day off

• Chishuru: Nigerian Michelin queen Adejoke. Incredible flavours- run, don’t walk.
• Jurkish: Caribbean-Turkish fusion that hits like no other.
• Blacklock Chops: Gordon Kerr and team deliver flavour and vibe every time-Shoreditch and Canary Wharf are our faves.

Why is independent hospitality so special?

Independent hospitality is built on soul, not systems. Every detail comes from real people who carefamily recipes, personal stories, community roots. When you step into an independent space, you’re stepping into someone’s dream, heritage, and hustle. That authenticity makes it unforgettable. It’s personal, it’s human, it matters.

Who inspires you most?

Our parents. They came to England young, with barely any support, and built a life rooted in love, hard work, and resilience. Our dad owns and runs Budgens near Brighton station; our mum raised eight thriving children with grace and strength.

For 20 years she put her dreams on pause so we could chase ours. Then she went back and earned her stage and screen acting degree, proving it’s never too late to rewrite your story.

They are our heroes, our grounding, our driving force. Everything we are, every dream we chase, every door we walk through it’s all because of the foundation they built with love, sacrifice, and unwavering belief in us.

Find out more:

The Flygerians

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