Meet our Team – Femi Popoola

We’d love you to Meet Our Team. This blog introduces fabulous Femi Popoola! Femi has a fascinating story and if you didn’t already know it, after reading this blog, you’ll know why Femi is such an asset to our team.

What brought you to Scotland? 

My family moved from Nigeria to Stornaway in the Western Isles when I was a teenager, as my Dad became the local doctor. It was quite a shock as you can imagine!! My first experience of UK weather was when we stepped off the plane in T shirts. It felt like stepping into a fridge and my two brothers and I thought that we weren’t prepared for the Scottish winter. Then we realised that it was, in fact, summer! That was a riveting realisation……

Continuing on with the weather theme, I remember my first taste of a Stornaway storm, was stepping out of our house to catch the school bus and finding that I wasn’t able to walk forwards. The school bus driver saw my predicament and kindly reversed to meet me, being blown backwards down the street.

The first time it snowed, I was sitting in class and all my classmates were pointing out of the window and feeling excited at taking me outside to see what snow felt like. The teacher said if we all behaved and listened for 10 more minutes, we could skip class and head outside. The whole class fell so silent and the teacher had our rapt attention. I think he was a little unnerved, as he let us head out after five minutes! As you’ll from this photo , I’ve gone on to develop a love for snow. Snowboarding is my favourite hobby/action sport.

And what brought you to Edinburgh?

It was a school basketball competition which first brought me to Edinburgh and that trip inspred me to want to move to the city to go to University. I realised Edinburgh was the perfect launch pad/ potential home base to explore Scotland. I found Edinburgh was the perfect city for a youngish adult to discover new things and explore. Also, you could fly to any major part of the world from this city and reach any part of Scotland easily.

In Edinburgh my favourite things are the different bars and restaurants. You can tell I’ve spent years working in hospitality. There’s always something new to taste or drink. Recently I loved sharing a Cote de Boeuf at Hawksmoor with friends. I’ve also enjoyed Buck’s Bar and Grill. They serve delicious buttermilk chicken and chicken wings. The service is quick and the food is tasty. Fierce Beer on Rose Street is great if you enjoy craft beers from all over Scotland and beyond. They have 20 rotating beers on tap as well as seasonal cocktail menu and lots of Scottish gins.

Delicious steaks at Hawksmoor

We hope that you’ve enjoyed reading Femi’s story and that you’ve been inspired to try the restaurants and bars that Femi loves in Edinburgh. Next time you’re speaking to Femi or emailing him, ask for his recommendations. He knows the city very well and can always make suggestions you’ll enjoy.