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The Roundtable

CulinaryArts@SPAC - Ozoz Sokoh's "Chop Chop: Cooking the Foods of Nigeria"

By Sarah LaDuke

Published November 24, 2025 at 11:32 AM EST

CulinaryArts@SPAC + WAMC on the Road - Chop Chop - Ozoz Sokoh

Ozoz Sokoh is a culinary anthropologist, food historian, and author of the new cook book “Chop Chop: Cooking the Foods of Nigeria” (Artisan, 2025). In the tradition of Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and Madhur Jaffrey’s “An Invitation to Indian Cooking,” “Chop Chop” offers both a cultural history and a hands-on introduction to the flavors of Nigeria.

We spoke with Ozoz in a CulinaryArts@SPAC and WAMC on the Road event in Saratoga Springs, New York on November 15. At the event, we were all treated to authentic Nigerian dishes including a goat pepper soup, chin chin, puff puff, jollof rice, and more prepared by Keobi Restaurant of Albany, New York.

Born and raised in Warri in the south-west of Nigeria, Ozoz is a professor of food tourism and food media at Centennial College in Toronto and makes her home in Mississauga. In 2009, she began journaling about food on her blog, Kitchen Butterfly.

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The next CulinaryArts@SPAC event, “Potluck Desserts: Joyful Recipes to Share with Pride,” will take place on December 4. Justin Burke will be in conversation with me and some of the best bakers in the region will make recipes from “Potluck Desserts” to share with attendees.

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The Roundtable CulinaryArts@SPAC nigeria cookbook cuisine SPAC WAMC on the Road food

Sarah LaDuke

Sarah has worked in public radio since 2006. She grew up in Saranac Lake, New York where she worked part-time at Pendragon Theatre all through high school and college. She graduated from UAlbany in 2006 with a BA in English and started at WAMC a few weeks later as a part-time board-op in the control room. Through a series of offered and seized opportunities she is now the Senior Contributing Producer of The Roundtable and Producer of The Book Show. During the main thrust of the Covid-19 pandemic shut-down, Sarah hosted a live Instagram interview program "A Face for Radio Video Series." On it, Sarah spoke with actors, musicians, comedians, and artists about the creative activities they were accomplishing and/or missing. She is on the board of WAM Theatre and lives in Albany, New York with her husband, Paul, and their dog, Doritos.

See stories by Sarah LaDuke

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