Seifa Afiesimama is the multi award winning director and owner of The Spicy Muffin Bar, creating luxury homemade spiced cake desserts, mocktails and muffin mixes. She is passionate about curating flavourful in person experiences and intentional connections infused with her West African heritage.
A former Quality and Patient Safety Manager with NHS England, Seifa’s approach to continuous quality improvement has translated into the delicious servings from The Spicy Muffin Bar.
Following her winning the Food & Hospitality Excellence category at the Biz Women Awards 2025, Seifa shared reflections on her journey, challenges, values and future ambitions in the interview below.
What does winning this award represent for you at this moment in your journey
It feels like getting a loud ‘keep going’ from a group of amazing people who understand the joys and challenges of entrepreneurship. On the night of the award, I had just come from back to back events I was catering. I was exhausted in every way and just saw it as a night to relax so winning caught me completely by surprise.
What key experiences or decisions shaped the path that brought you to this point
The business ethos is an extension of my belief in excellence – not perfection. It’s the daily decision to focus on using the best organic and natural ingredients, finding beautiful but reusable packaging, evolving in house processes to be as lean as possible, connecting with client feedback and the pure excitement of bringing joy through delicious things.
What challenge has pushed you to grow the most and what did you learn from that experience
Being the face of the business has been the hardest thing. I don’t mind occasionally being in front but I am more comfortable in practical settings, making things happen. Today’s market requires business leaders to be seen, heard and for their journeys to be shared. That has, and continues to push me outside my comfort zone but it has been amazing to get so much support from the posts. I’m getting better at it.
What milestone or breakthrough moment helped shape the direction of your career or business
Selling out at the first ever conference pop up and the amazing feedback. This was an opportunity that came out of a casual conversation. I saw it as a test pop up with no expectations but it opened my eyes to the potential of the business and I had to take myself seriously. Before that point, I just enjoyed testing recipes with different spices at home. I knew the products tasted great but I had no ‘stranger proof’ before that conference.
How do you aim to create meaningful impact within your industry or community
Continuing flavour innovation in cake desserts on the back of our Seifa’s Sweet Plantain cake desserts.There are some exciting flavours coming in 2026. These are closely linked to my heritage and cuisines from other parts of the world. I can’t wait to see how others respond to the new flavours.
Looking ahead to summer 2025, I would love to create a community space for families to embrace the joys of baking together.
What values guide the way you work and lead, and how have they influenced your success
People are precious and everyone should have the opportunity to be seen. When a client, friend or colleague tastes something I’ve created, I want them to have a taste moment but more importantly that the flavour we’ve most likely discuss beforehand, makes them feel they are understood and of course, utter deliciousness.
What do you believe has contributed most to your success in this award category
I couldn’t say honestly, the category had some amazing women doing great things in the world of food and drink.
What insight or advice would you offer to women who want to grow, lead, and make their mark
Link in with local council approved sources of support, keep learning especially in areas that are not your strength and lean on the people who cheer you on.
What future goals or ambitions are you excited to pursue after receiving this award
Securing a physical space would be amazing. To have a place welcome clients, foster physical connections and a good shelf to display this award, naturally.
