Chef Dammy Reflects on Harrowing Experience of Viral Cook-a-Thon
Rising culinary star Damilola “Chef Dammy” Adeparusi has candidly shared how the viral attention from her 2023 cook-a-thon plunged her into deep emotional distress.
In an interview with Instablog9ja, Chef Dammy revealed she never anticipated the event would attract such massive attention. “I didn’t know it was going to be viral. I didn’t even tell my parents about it; they just saw me. I was shocked to see myself on social media,” she said.
However, the viral fame came at a steep personal cost. Chef Dammy recounted that the cyberbullying she endured was only a fraction of what she experienced in real life. “I was bullied, I was assaulted. I was broken. Social media broke me,” she admitted
Looking back, she said:
“If you had asked me this question two years ago or a year ago, I might be crying. But now I’m happy I can talk about this without crying. There was a time in my life I was even telling God, ‘Can this wait a bit? Can I at least forget some things?’ I felt overwhelmed”
Now, Chef Dammy is channeling her passion into honing her craft at the Hospitality Business School in Lagos, where she is pursuing a Professional Culinary Art Chef diploma through a full scholarship.