DO Bowls' Monthly CookOut is the Hottest Pop-Up in Lagos Right Now
Our love affair with DO Bowls began in 2021 during Lockdown, and two years later, it’s a ting that’s still going strong. They’ve served awesome food at EatDrinkFestival, we’ve partnered on an exciting pop-up and made fun memories, all because it’s an innovative brand and we love that.
Yet again, at DO Bowls, something new has taken off. They’ve partnered up with La Taverna to host a cookout every first Saturday of the month — each one with a different theme. “The CookOut is for people who love good food. Who want to try new things and are ready to just enjoy endless Oversabi bowls of deliciousness,” they wrote in an announcement post shared on Instagram.
Image: instagram.com/do_bowls
Image: instagram.com/do_bowls
This made it the perfect time to catch up with the Chef-in-Chief and Founder, Dami Olukoya to chat about this monthly series, the most rewarding part of her work and DO Bowls’ renowned hot sauce that’s famously been compared to cr*ck.
EatDrinkLagos: What do you enjoy most about hosting pop-ups?
Dami: 100% the menus. My favourite thing is making new dishes and the best thing about the pop-ups we do are how random the recipes and menus are. It allows me to express myself fully in the kitchen and I get to have a lot of fun with it.
Tell us a bit about the preparation process for each event.
I usually create the menu a week before the pop-up announcement — this is usually before I have even tested out the recipes. Then I start working on getting the items to look exactly how I imagined them. I work with my girls (team) to decide what the process on the day will look like, after which I cost the menu based on how the recipe testing has gone.
In between all this, I start marketing, pushing and doing small begging to get people to come and try the food! The pop-ups to me are really all about getting people to try new things.
How do you decide on the theme for each month?
The menus are inspired by my cravings. My imagination runs very wild, especially with food. For the cookout, I decided that the theme should be determined by one item — be it pasta, noodles, yam or chicken. I get very imaginative and creative with it.
“The pop-ups to me are really all about getting people to try new things.”
Why was La Taverna the right spot to host it?
Chef Christian is actually the best person. He has supported a majority of my pop-ups and we spoke about how he had space for use and I just knew it would be a match made in heaven. I absolutely respect him and La Taverna.
Walk us through what the morning of each event typically looks like.
A lot of the time, I get only two hours the night before a pop-up, so in the morning I’m usually exhausted. Nerves plus making sure I’m properly organised keep me up because there’s a lot going on — working out of the kitchen and doing both online and physical orders. It’s mentally draining without proper organisation.
In the morning, the logistics team pack up the car. The main kitchen team have usually started the cooking for the items that won’t be cooked on-site. It’s usually prepped the day before to make sure we move quicker in the morning. Then we all get changed and ready (usually, there’s a lot of shouting and running because it’s eight women and everyone must shower 😭 before events). Then we head to the location and set up.
What was the most exciting thing on your last (Lotsa Pasta) menu?
The Mac and Cheeeeeeeese with the bbq pork.
I swear I had this food in my dream and it took me three tests to make sure it was premium.
What kind of person would most enjoy the cookout series?
A person who loves to try new combinations of food and someone who is excited to step out of their comfort zone.
Aside from the varied menu, what makes each pop-up different?
It’s mainly just different themes with the same cookout vibe, but I would say the BBQ style changes a bit.
What’s the most rewarding part of doing this?
How people react when they taste my food! At the last pop-up, a really nice person told me the hot sauce was like cr*ck and kept coming back for more 😭
Image: instagram.com/do_bowls
In regards to the brand, what’s your biggest goal for the year?
I would love to expand where we deliver and get a secondary kitchen, to make things more affordable for people, in terms of delivery and decreasing our wait times.
DO Bowls’ next pop-up will be on Saturday, 4th March at La Taverna. Stay up-to-date on their menus and general info on social.
