THE. HATCH returns for its second season. Chef Michelle Ogochukwu Igwilo of ogoisfooding has moved into the 16/16 kitchen for three weeks. While she’s here, she’s hosting two of her famous Puff Puff Cafés and an 8-course dinner with drinks pairings, bringing together food enthusiasts, designers and journalists to celebrate her Igbo-inspired global cooking.
What is THE. HATCH?
THE. HATCH is 16/16's yearly culinary residency: a tiny hole in our kitchen wall where one chef moves in and experiments. Season 1, in 2025, was Chef Muna's omakase of indigenous Igbo ingredients seen through the eyes of haute French and Japanese cuisine.
The Puff Puff Café
On Sunday 25 October, THE. HATCH opened for the first with Ogo’s famous Puff Puff Café concept. Puff puff is the snack everyone in Lagos grew up on - beautiful fermented dough balls fried to perfection, stuffed with a range of savory and sweet fillings: prawns in ncha, asun, pistachio-white chocolate, hibiscus sugar et al.
About Chef Ogo
Ogochukwu ‘Ogo’ Igwilo is a culinary artist and founder of Ogoisfooding, a nomadic culinary studio creating experimental food experiences. Drawing on her Nigerian-Igbo upbringing and a commitment to local, seasonal produce, Ogo brings together the flavours and memories of her heritage with contemporary techniques and ingredients. Through pop-ups, supperclubs and experimental concepts, Ogo has developed a distinctive approach to contemporary Nigerian cuisine. Her diverse body of work ranges from a recent collaborative pavilion at London Design Festival to pop-ups at Italo, Joyau, Loop, and Jazu in London (where she is currently based).
What's Next
Friday 6th November: Dinner Pop Up. The culmination of the residency and the Chef’s 3 weeks of thinking and experimentation: an 8-course dinner with drinks pairings, from 7pm to 10pm. Expect isi ewu croquettes with ncha, wara in coconut curry, and a masa crumpet with rum-caramelised pineapple to finish. The meal will feature drinks pairings from a hibiscus kombucha to signature cocktails by DÒDÒ Rum.
Sunday 8 November: Puff Puff Café #2. The official closing of THE. HATCH. Come
With thanks to our collaborators: Irin Journal, Tix.africa, and Dodo Rum via Marmalade Collective and Ata Rodo Mag.
