Aston Lukoye
- The former rugby player was gifted a car by his wife
- He turned down the gift because he does not know how to drive
Dennis Ombachi is a former professional rugby player who has turned his passion for cooking into a successful online career. But one thing you might not know about him is that he can’t drive.
In an interview with Capital Lifestyle, Ombachi explained that he simply never learned how to drive. “Cars have never really been my thing,” he said. “My wife gave me a birthday gift sometime back, a driving lesson’s voucher. I declined.”
Ombachi says that growing up, he had wanted to be a policeman, but that dream never materialized. However, he found a new passion in cooking after he was injured and forced to retire from rugby.
“There is a healing feeling I get from cooking that I can’t explain,” he said. “It’s a sensory experience for me.”
Ombachi began posting cooking videos on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic, and quickly became an internet sensation. He now has over two million followers on the platform, and was awarded the 2022 TikTok Award for Top Creator in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Ombachi says that he plans to open a restaurant in the future, and admires top chef Gordon Ramsay’s style of cooking. “He focuses more on the principles of cooking rather than just the recipe,” he said.
Despite his success, Ombachi is still open about his struggles with mental health. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2018, and it took him around three years to disclose his condition to his parents.
“Before the diagnosis, I could experience mood swings and depression or even lock myself up and drink a lot,” he said. “I could engage in certain drugs to numb my feelings and even got to a point where I became suicidal.”
However, Ombachi says that cooking has helped him to manage his mental health. “It’s a great way to express myself and to connect with others,” he said. “It’s also a great way to take care of myself and to feel good about myself.”
