After 10 tries and at least five different types of cinnamon, he recently perfected his cinnamon roll recipe. Making a cheesecake is comparatively simple, Ogbonnia said. Although the budding chef bucked tradition by baking the cheesecake without a water bath, the cake stayed soft and fluffy thanks to his method of cooking at a relatively low 300 degrees.
#MACARONI QUEST TAKEN 7 CRACKER#
The version Ogbonnia prepared in his apartment recently was light and creamy with a spiced graham cracker crust he made with a mini-food processor. Gaines, who will work with Ogbonnia on the Thanksiving feast this year, loves Ogbonnia’s strawberry cheesecake the most. Though Ogbonnia can use his strength to plow through opponents on the field, he appreciates the elegance and dexterity of baking. To feed his passion, Ogbonnia took basic classes that sparked his interest in baking that has now become his main culinary focus. His mother made traditional Nigerian dishes that his father loved, Ogbonnia made lasagnas, crab cakes and burgers. Slowly, he started taking control of the kitchen and cooked dinners for his family by freshman year of high school. He watched his mom cook and showed her what he could do. His father held traditional Nigerian values about gender roles, so Ogbonnia’s two sisters were expected to do house chores like cooking while he and his brother did yard work, and all four were expected to excel academically.īut when his father was working and his mother was resting, Ogbonnia snuck into the kitchen to cook eggs or simple pasta dishes. Ogbonnia learned his work ethic from his parents, who maintained high standards for their four children.
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“You watch his work ethic, his attention to detail, especially out here at practice sessions, it rubs off.” “He wants to be great in everything he does he wants to be great in the classroom, he wants to be great on the football field, he wants to be great in the kitchen,” Kelly said. Ogbonnia, whose introverted, hard-working nature probably led him to the kitchen as a child in the first place, doesn’t speak often, but earns the attention of his teammates when he does. As a freshman, he got chewed out by former defensive line coach Vince Oghobaase when another assistant coach noticed Ogbonnia skipped a drill. He’ll make almost anything his teammates request, even if it feels like a burden.īecoming a consistent force for the Bruins, who will play in their first bowl game since 2017, didn’t come easily for Ogbonnia. By his own admission, he’s not very social, but perks up when discussing anything related to cooking. “Anytime you eat with your teammates, it really helps you make a deeper connection.” “It helps bring the team together and make it a real family,” Ogbonnia said as the sweet smell of strawberry cheesecake filled his apartment. They borrowed quarterback Chase Griffin’s kitchen for extra cooking space to make enough food for about 30 teammates.Įveryone came to Ogbonnia and Gaines’ apartment - which they shared with defensive lineman Odua Isibor and linebacker Adam Cohen - grabbed a plate and dug in. Gaines, who specializes in soul food, came with such classics as fried chicken, mashed potatoes and ribs. Ogbonnia responded by making 10 different desserts, including pies, cobblers and cakes. UCLA defensive lineman Otito Ogbonnia has Olympic hopes in shotputting as well as opening the season as part of fierce pass rush. UCLA’s Otito Ogbonnia aspires to compete in the Olympics - and lead a fierce pass rush He orders spices from Indonesia to master cinnamon rolls, writes and rewrites his own recipes in his quest for perfection, then delivers his dishes to teammates, coaches and trainers at UCLA to unite the team through a language 300-pound men speak and understand even more fluently than football: food.
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What started as youthful curiosity is now a deep passion for Ogbonnia. The senior nose tackle is UCLA’s top chef. When Ogbonnia is not mauling offensive linemen, he’s here, leaning over the kitchen counter of his studio apartment in a UCLA graduate student housing complex or peering into the half-sized oven to check on his latest culinary creation. He drags it through the red puddles, gently swirling them to create a whimsical pattern. Relative to the UCLA defensive lineman’s massive hands, the spoon Ogbonnia is holding looks like something used to feed babies. Otito Ogbonnia’s hands, beaten up from years of striking blocking sleds and fighting off offensive linemen, drop delicate pools of fresh strawberry puree into a creamy white batter.