Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Irene-Oshias.
Hi Alexis, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My love for cooking started long before I ever thought of it as a business. Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, I loved being in the kitchen and creating food that people enjoyed. During my university days, whenever friends had birthdays or celebrations, I was usually the person they called to help with the food—and, of course, I was doing it for free!
The turning point came when a friend was planning a big birthday celebration and asked me to cater the food. This time, she insisted on paying me. The event went really well, and that experience opened my eyes to the possibility that something I genuinely loved doing could also become a successful business.
After graduating, I worked for an IT solutions company for four years. But my passion for food never really left me, and eventually I knew I wanted to build something of my own. In 2012, I took that leap, resigned from my job, and started Lexi’s Kitchen in Nigeria.
When I later moved to the United States, life naturally went through a transition. I took some time to settle into a new country, worked, and found my footing. By 2019, I was ready to return to catering, and what started years earlier in Lagos began growing again.
Today, that journey has evolved into SavorByLexi.
The name may have changed, but the heart behind what I do has not. For me, catering has never been simply about putting food on a table. It is about creating an experience and becoming a small part of someone’s special memory. Food brings people together—it starts conversations, connects cultures, and is present during some of life’s happiest moments. There is something incredibly fulfilling about watching people gather around food I have created and knowing that I contributed to making their celebration special.
For me, success is when people leave an event remembering not only what they ate, but how the experience made them feel. That is the heart of SavorByLexi, and I’m excited about where this new chapter will take us.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t always been a smooth road. Like most entrepreneurial journeys, there have been seasons of growth, uncertainty, and starting over.
One of my biggest challenges came when I moved from Nigeria to the United States. I had already built Lexi’s Kitchen back home, but relocating meant stepping away from something I had worked hard to establish and essentially starting again in a completely new environment. I had to adjust to a new country, understand a different market, rebuild my network, and introduce my food to a new audience.
Another challenge has been learning how to balance the creative side of catering with the business side. I love cooking and creating beautiful experiences, but running a catering company also means managing clients, pricing, logistics, staffing, sourcing, and all the little details people may never see behind a successful event. I’ve learned a lot along the way.
But I think those challenges have also shaped SavorByLexi into what it is today. They taught me to be adaptable, intentional, and never become too comfortable with where I am. There is always room to improve, refine, and elevate.
In many ways, that is what this rebrand represents for me. SavorByLexi is not about starting over; it is about taking everything I’ve learned along the journey and building something even better from it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
SavorByLexi is an event catering company built around great food, thoughtful presentation, and memorable experiences. We cater events of different sizes, styles, and cultures—from intimate gatherings and milestone celebrations to weddings, corporate events, and larger occasions.
What makes SavorByLexi special to me is that we don’t believe catering should feel one-size-fits-all. Every celebration has its own personality, its own people, and often its own cultural influences. I enjoy understanding what a client wants their event to feel like and creating a food experience that complements that vision.
Our roots are in African cuisine, but our creativity is not limited to one style of food. Over the years, there are a few dishes that people have really come to know and love us for. Our special fried rice is definitely one of them, our pastas are always a favorite, and our coconut rice has its own loyal following. I make the coconut rice in a very local, traditional way, and people who love that authentic coconut flavor really appreciate it. It always makes me happy when someone tastes our food at an event and later comes looking for us because they remember a particular dish.
We enjoy bringing together different flavors and influences while paying attention to taste, quality, presentation, and the overall experience. I love for the food to look beautiful, but for me, it always has to taste just as good—or even better—than it looks.
I’m especially proud of how much the brand has grown. We started as Lexi’s Kitchen, and becoming SavorByLexi represents that growth and where I see the business going. The word Savor really means something to me. I want people to enjoy the food, enjoy the people they’re sharing it with, and truly savor the occasion.
At the heart of SavorByLexi is a very simple belief: people may come together for an occasion, but food has a beautiful way of becoming part of the memory. I want our clients and their guests to leave remembering not only what they ate, but how the entire experience made them feel.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me happiest is seeing the people I love happy and doing well. I’m very family-oriented, so spending quality time with my family, celebrating the little moments, laughing together, and simply knowing that the people closest to me are okay gives me a lot of joy.
I’m also genuinely happy when I’m creating. There’s something about starting with an idea—whether it’s a meal, a menu, or an entire event—and watching it come together that is very fulfilling for me. And I especially love that moment when someone tastes my food and you can see their reaction before they even say anything. That never gets old.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve also learned to appreciate the simple things more—peace, good health, meaningful relationships, good food, and being able to enjoy the life I’m working so hard to build. I think happiness for me is really a combination of those things: the people I love, doing work that fulfills me, and being grateful for the journey while still being excited about what’s ahead.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.savorbylexi.com
- Instagram: Savorbylexi
- Facebook: Savorbylexi
