Tinuke Adebowale is the culinary creator and mom of two behind Tempting Delights. Tinuke believes that food should be fun and expressive. Tempting Delights was a business that started so Tinuke could share her love of desserts with the world using multi-sensory methods.
Q. How did you choose your career path?
Creating desserts has always been a passion and something I did for fun and for myself. I had family and friends push me and believe in my work and that motivated me to put it out there as a business venture. When something calls you – you just fall into it. It’s like a magnet or gravity; it doesn’t have to be your intention, but if it’s where you’re meant to be, the work and the business side will find you.
I have always wanted to open a café so the online order-based version of Tempting Delights is sort of a stepping stone to one day end up there. I’ve always wanted a place where I can go and play with food and experiment without rigid restrictions. My café will be a place where the menu is inspired in the moment, ever-changing and curated for sensory immersion. An experiential eatery, something different, not like a normal table and chairs and standard food situation – I believe food should be experienced with all your senses; taste, smell, touch, visual – especially visually, that’s very important. Food should be fun and played with and bring out your inner child. Everyone has that in them.
Q. If you could give your past self some advice, what would you say?
I’m a self-starter and a “doer” so I tend to leap and then figure out how to fly on the way. If I were able to give my past self some advice, I would definitely encourage younger me to do a little more research and create a built-out business plan before launching. It’s fantastic and kind of interesting to see how far I was able to go without a proper business plan, but I think I could have had a lot more confidence in the marketability of my projects if I had done that first.
I would also say just be ready for ups and downs. Don’t be afraid to modify the plan as you go along. Be ready to pivot, but the key is to stick through it. Perseverance is the best tool you can use along the path to success.
Q. What is your number one business goal to accomplish this year?
I’m excited for this year! It feels like the culinary world was put through the wringer the past few years, and now there are opportunities opening up and expanding in a new way and I want to take them on with gusto!
As I build out Tempting Delights to what I envision it to be, I’m focusing a lot on publicity and building an engaged audience of food-lovers and dessert-appreciators. I’m also currently looking for collaboration opportunities with other self-starters, especially self-identified “planners” who are excited and ready to bring this expansive culinary vision into reality.
If I could make anything happen his year, my next move would be to find another like-minded food creator and work with them on an in-person experience – if they have a physical location or if we find a space to use – to bring a sensory and immersive food experience to food lovers. I have so many ideas and I can’t wait to execute on them.
Q. What is the biggest lesson you learned from failure?
“Failure” is a hard thing to define but I feel what I would identify as my most difficult hurdles or moments of failure as that paralysis that comes when comparison takes over. I’ve fallen subject to the common mental roadblock of comparison – when you see someone else doing what you want to do and start second-guessing your work, your pricing, your business structure – your ability to succeed in a competitive space. That’s been a hindrance for me to stay motivated. If I come up with something and then go online or social media to put it out there and I see multiple people in my geographic area doing the same thing or something similar I’ve ended up pausing and standing in my own way.
It’s challenging to overcome mental blocks, but I’ve definitely learned to remind myself to just go for it. When I show up and go for it, I find the responses so positive, and that reinforcement has helped me over time to adjust my thinking and learn from these moments of micro-failure. I’ve learned to let my product speak for itself and be confident in the quality of my work.
In essence; just because someone else is doing what you are doing, don’t let that stop you.
Q. What is your remedy for dealing with creative block?
I don’t know if there’s a one-specific remedy for creative block. I find inspiration in the most random places. A walk in the park, something I smell, a savoury dish could inspire a dessert, a walk in the grocery store noticing an ingredient I haven’t seen in a while, or watching other people play with food or cook are all potential inspirational moments.
I’ll find myself looking at a sunny-side-up egg, and all of a sudden – idea! Using molecular gastronomy, I can make a mango jelly on top of white chocolate and make it look like a sunny-side-up egg. Deconstructing and playing with food where I see something and play around with it, and then taste it and create these multi-sensory moments where your eyes and your taste buds have different experiences like an egg that’s really mango and white chocolate – that’s so fun to me. Mystifying the senses and giving people an experience that tempts them and then delights them is what inspires my creativity.
Connect with Tinuke:
Instagram: @Tempting.Delights.Canada
