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While he was at the College, Joshua Ibuanokpe (07-14) played 1st XV rugby. On leaving he joined the Harlequins Academy while at the same time completing a Physics BSc at the University of Bristol. Later he made the move to London rivals Saracens, where, in June 2020, a passion for both cooking and fund raising saw him launch his chicken wing company ‘Wing Ting’ as a series of pop-ups in local pubs and restaurants while at the same time developing a partnership with Southwark Foodbank. Youwere not a star rugby player in your first few years at the College - what motivated you to take the game (and your talent) more seriously? If I'mbeing honest I didn't really fit in too well, and I hoped being better at rugby would helpme findmy place. You studiedMaths, Further Maths, Physics and Economics at A Level before going on to study for a degree in Physics. Howdifficult was it to combine the demands of studying for a degreewith playing rugby at such a high level? Physics is a hugely demanding subject which is reflected in the high drop out rate at university. There is certainly a great deal of content and also a considerable number of contact hours. Combining that with professional rugby was tough. I certainly had tomake a number of lifestyle and timemanagement decisions in order to stay productive. Of course at times in the academic year/rugby season, one would have to suffer for the other. However, what I can say with certainty is that tomanage to do both showedme how important they were tome. When did you realise that the career of a professional rugby player could be very short and that you needed a plan B? I was always acutely aware that at any point I may not be good enough to play at the highest level or even be offered a contract. I think I was always onmy toes in that regard, especially as I wasn't quite able to cement myself as a top-pick player. Can you give somemore background on the birth of Wing Ting? Had you seen an entrepreneurial spark in you before? Inmy teenage and early adult life I never had an entrepreneurial spark or desire to run a business. Wing Ting was born from inviting teammates over to cook chicken wings for them inmy little flat. It evolved into a bit of a cult thing in the Premiership amongst my friends in other clubs. Lockdown hit and I adapted it into a takeaway in exchange for donations. This went well and so the decision to make a business out of it seemed tomake sense.
Howdid you establish a relationshipwith Southwark Foodbank? I always found it a little awkward to takemoney frommy teammates and friends, so an easy way around that was to raisemoney for a charity instead. At that point during the pandemic there was a little less of a concern about those whomay not have enough to eat due to losing their job. I decided to choose Southwark Foodbank as it's a fiveminute drive fromwhere I grew up in Peckhamwhich is themost deprived area in the country for child food poverty. When I forged this relationship with them, they were happy to support me in return. At least 10%of Wing Ting revenue in 2021 will be donated to Southwark Foodbank. HowdidWing Ting develop fromyour kitchen to a pop-up business? Initially, I was looking for a cafe space that would be closed in the evenings to allowme to do takeaways. A restaurant in St Albans contactedme and they suggested trying it out as a pop-up. I cooked the food and they sold drinks while providing waiting staff. It was really successful but then came the pandemic. Howdo you feel the pandemic affected you? Like somany, my business took a real hit during the pandemic and we have all seen how overall the hospitality industry is still recovering from its lasting impact. It seems the way we interact with restaurants has changed, but that is part of adapting. I always found it difficult to do takeaways during lockdown becausemy favourite part of cooking was seeing people enjoy the food. Without that element it felt a little empty. What does the future hold? The project is currently undergoing a rebrand tomake it more efficient and reach people a little bit better. Adaptation is really important in life and business as the game is always ever-changing. One can never rest on their laurels.
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