On Being a Data Analyst Who Loves to Cook

Data analytics and cooking have more in common than most people think. Both require precision. Both involve following a process while leaving room for intuition. Both produce something that — when done well — feels effortless to the person experiencing it, even though the work behind it was anything but.

When I'm building a regression model, I'm asking: what variables matter? What's the relationship between them? What story does this data want to tell?

When I'm making jollof rice, I'm asking the same questions. What's the ratio of tomato to stock? How long do I cook the sauce before adding the rice? What does the colour of the oil tell me about when to move to the next step?

Both are about reading signals and responding thoughtfully.

I think the best analysts are curious people who find patterns everywhere — not just in spreadsheets. The kitchen has made me a better analyst. And analytics has made me a more intentional cook.