Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
COOKING PROD
Omari has run o & hosted TV sh
Not many children have set up their own business, run their own restaurant, hosted their own TV cooking show and written a book by the age of 12 – but celeb chef Omari Mcqueen is no ordinary child.
The London-born youngster’s brief life story is one of triumph over adversity after his family says he was written off at school aged seven due to his dyslexia.
Still ambitious, he hopes to meet his hero, Gordon Ramsay. Omari also plans to release a second book this year. All this after he says his SAT hopes at school were written off by teachers convinced he would fail.
“I was a bit down at the time because I thought I could pass those exams,” Omari says.
“But I moved on by cooking and being home schooled.
“It’s a dream come true to do my book. I might have dyslexia but I managed to get it done. My inspirations are Gordon Ramsay because he’s a personal chef just like me.
“Also the actor from Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman. Because he made me realise that whatever goes on in your life that’s miserable, you should carry on.”
Omari’s self-belief was such that, aged just 11, he contacted Roger Wade, CEO of London food hall Boxpark asking for backing.
“I messaged him on Linkedin and asked if I could have a restaurant at Boxpark when I’m older.
“He said to me, ‘Why wait? You can have it now for free!’”
Having waived the £1,000 rent for the week-long stint at his Croydon location, Wade allowed Omari to bill himself as the “world’s youngest restaurateur”, surpassing eleven and-a-half-year-old Flynn Mcgarry who, in 2011, ran a restaurant out of his California home.
Omari debuted Dipalicious, his own brand, bringing Caribbean cuisine to a whole new audience.
Why vegan? “Well, I want people to be more healthy,” he says.
“Also because I didn’t like the way that animals were treated for food and clothes.”
His offerings ranged from simple dishes such as pumpkin soup and vegetable curry to barbecue jackfruit with breadfruit chips and spinach-like dish callaloo.
Omari, who lives with his family in Peckham has also produced a range of kids meals along with his own dipping sauces which remain a big hit online.
His first book, Omari Mcqueen’s Best Bites, was released last month. He started in the kitchen, however, as a seven-year-old inspired by mum Leah. When she was struck down with paralysing migraines, Omari came into his own.
Dad Jermaine had previously taught him how to prepare meals but Omari was determined to go one better. Leah, 33, explains: “I’d be in and out of hospital and times I was in a wheelchair. Omari went