My love for food and girls from Central Kenya

Jack Omamo wanted to be a lawyer and in pursuit of this dream, he met someone who introduced him to cooking. The Ultimate Challenge host on KTN, a weight loss show talks to Gardy Chacha about his love for food and women from Central.

Do you love food?

Yes. I love food.

What is your favourite meal? I can tell you my favourite. But there is a story to it.

Aha! Continue...

I started cooking when I was joining the university. As a young man I met a very beautiful lady called Wambui. And Wambui managed to put things together for me in the kitchen.

Between Wambui and the food who did you fall in love with first?

I was already in love with Wambui when the food came.

You must be a graduate of food science!

No. I wanted to study law. At Leeds University in the UK – where I met Wambui – I was on that path. Until I had a road accident that shattered several bones on my leg. I came back to Kenya and things changed.

I enrolled for international relations at USIU. I was to travel back to UK to pursue law (my parents too really wanted me to become a lawyer) but then joined the media through Capital FM’s Capital Idols contest.

That is how you ended up hosting a show about food?

At USIU I was always the MC at events. Then Capital show came and I was the first runners up. Afterwards I hosted music shows on Capital.

One time a friend heard me describe food on air and it happened that he was looking for someone to host a show on food. He approached me and Food Heaven came into existence.

Is Food Heaven responsible for your body size?

I believe my genes are. I come from a family of big bodied people. Plus, before the accident I was quite an active person. I was part of a rugby team. With my leg broken my activity levels went down.

The heaviest you have ever weighed?

That was somewhere in 2014 just before joining Season 2 of Ultimate Challenge on KTN. I was 154.7Kgs.

And what is your ideal weight?

Using BMI readings, a man my height (6ft) should weigh 84Kgs. My BMI at the time was 46. Normal BMI is between 18.5 to 24.9. But BMI is not the best measure to use to gauge the right weight. If I was to get to 84 I would be dead. Currently I am 117Kgs... and that is fine by me.

How is Jack with the ladies?

I am a ladies man. I am a gentleman who respects women and I believe men should do everything to make women happy.

And that means exactly what?

Don’t get me wrong. Women are strong. But I am the kind of guy who would open the door and pull a chair for a lady. That is just me... I mean... I am not married...

You are not! When is that happening?

If I had the answer it would probably make my mom the happiest woman in the world. But I can’t say right now.

If you are not married what happened to Wambui?

Oh! We are no longer together. There have been many Wambuis since. And for some reason almost all the ladies I have dated come from Central. I am attracted to them everywhere I go.

Will you marry a Wambui?

God knows.

When you marry, who will be cooking?

Both of us. It is fun that way. And it is my way of showing affection.

Do you live to eat or eat to live?

Honestly, I live to eat. I have always loved playing around with recipes: mixing different foods just to enjoy it.

And you would eat every animal on earth?

Yes. But there is something that does not feel right with eating dogs. A python I would: even a crocodile. But a dog!? The other one is monkeys – they are too humanoid.