When you love doing something, pursue it with passion, as it can become the driving force in your life, motivating you, exciting you, bringing smiles, and fueling your journey. Dennis Ombachi, a former Rugby 7s player turned content creator and celebrity chef, perfectly embodies this principle.

From the days he played rugby for the national team, scoring the try against Zimbabwe that qualified Kenya for the Rio 2016 Olympics, to being awarded the TikTok Top Creator 2022 Sub-Saharan Africa, there’s no stopping Dennis, aka the roaming chef, and we are all here for it, loving every minute of watching him evolve. On social media, he boasts more than 1.1 million followers on Instagram, 2 million followers on TikTok, and 450,000 followers on Facebook – numbers that undeniably place him among Kenya’s most followed content creators. And those numbers continue to grow every day.

In a recent interview with CNN Sport, Ombachi shared with the journalist that he discovered his passion for cooking when the rugby sevens circuit was canceled, and the Kenya Rugby Union terminated his contract. Faced suddenly with the fear of unemployment and without income, he decided to pursue something he had started but hadn’t fully explored—cooking. Gifted with a DSLR camera from his former captain and mentor, Humphrey Kayange, Ombachi began cooking and documenting on his blog. He gradually transitioned to creating videos, sharing them on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. The rest, as they say, is history.

On this Monday afternoon, I am honored to stand across from Dennis in his home, observing him in action as he does what he does best: cooking for his content creation on his famous balcony. Today’s dish is spicy Ethiopian beef Tibs, served over Injera, with dessert in the making. I take the opportunity to engage him in this segment of 25 questions:

25 Questions with The Roaming Chef, Dennis Ombachi

1. What ingredient/s do you put in everything when cooking? *smiling gleefully* salt, pepper and garlic. I cannot cook without salt.

2. What did you want to be when you were a kid? A policeman. I watched so many cop- shows when growing up. I was always fascinated by the cops and cop life and how they saved everyone. They were always the heroes in the tv shows.

3. On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you about life right now? *shouts joyously* 10. Absolutely 10. I am so happy with life right now and enjoying every minute of it. More so, having my kids and watching them grow. They are everything to me. I live for my kids. I am also enjoying cooking which is my content creation skill. Infact i love it more than i ever loved rugby.  

4. Most embarrassing or weird request from a fan online? Inviting me over to make dinner for them (ladies). That is a line I don’t cross, also well, because I don’t provide that service.

5. Favorite subject in high school? History and Physics.

6. You are stuck on an island and you have to pick one food to eat forever without getting tired of it, what would you eat? *dicing tomatoes, pauses for a second and grins* Fish. You know there is a wide variety of fish in the world, so I simply cannot get bored. You can have tilapia, herring, Catfish, Snapper, Tuna, Sardine etc.

7. How would you define yourself in three words? Spontaneous, empathetic and hard working. All these I learnt from my rugby days.

8. What makes you happy? *smiles, looks up* My wife, my children, my family and in laws, cooking, and golf.

9. Your advice to anyone going through depression/ mental health? There is help. Seek help. Talk to someone please. You are never alone.

10. Football or F1? Football.

11. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Introverted 100% but when it comes to making or looking for money, I am very extroverted *laughs heartily.*

12. People you would love to have at your dinner table, to make them any of your favorite meals. *holding chin* Former President Barrack Obama, Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay and Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

13. Favorite app on social media? TikTok. I spend a lot of time on it.

14. Would u consider taking dance lessons? * frowns * First can I start with swimming lessons? Because I really need help with that before dance lessons.

15. Something people don’t know about you Dennis? I can’t drive. I simply cannot drive. Cars have never really been my thing. My wife gave me a birthday present some time back, a driving lessons’ voucher. I declined * laughs*

16. What are the three things you can’t live without? Support from the family, good food, giving back to society and helping others. All these gives me purpose in life.

17. Dog person, cat person, or neither? Dog person and oh, I want to get parrots soon.

18. Three brands you would like to work with in future? One is Emirates. Two is the makers of Lodge Cast Iron pans and last but not least, the dealers or manufacturers of Land Rover vehicles.

19. What tv show are you currently into/ would you recommend? Documentaries.

20. Any plans to open a restaurant? Absolutely. This is my dream. I want to leave this as a legacy for my kids. You know I don’t want them growing up thinking all I left them were social media followers *laughs out loud.*

21. What has been your proudest moment in your career so far? Helping my team qualify for Olympics and participating in it (rugby). Most recently, being awarded the TikTok Sub Saharan overall winner, the top creator.

22. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten? Snails in Paris and snakes in Hongkong.

23. If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice at the beginning of your career, what would it be? Seriously taking care of my mental health.

24. Do you work out? *looks at his biceps, sighs* Can you believe I haven’t worked out for so long? It’s been 3 years and honestly, I need to go back to it. I have good genes so despite preparing and eating all this food, I have a good body.

25. Dream destination? Japan.

Fun Fact: cooking and editing (content creation) takes him between 10 am – 5. 30 pm. He cooks 3 times a week.

“25 Questions” is an engaging and lighthearted interview feature designed to reveal the fun and unique aspects of a person’s personality. It’s a playful and entertaining way to explore the quirks, preferences, and imaginative aspects of a person mainly offering a delightful mix of nostalgia, creativity, and humor.