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How did I get started in my own cooking business?
A question I get asked is " How did I get started in my own cooking business?"
The answer takes place over time.
First, I loved cooking as a young girl still living with my family, and spent countless hours in the kitchen, especially on the weekends when not in school. Me and my parents would cook together. I would cook with my mom more when we had dinner parties in our formal dining room. I cooked with my dad most often. Weekly meal prep before it was called that and became a thing, was how we spent our early mornings and afternoons. Then, it was time to rest and watch TV.
Soon, I began making my own recipes, after memorizing traditional Punjabi Pakistani recipes. I watched cooking shows and read cookbooks. Then came the time I volunteered to feed large groups of people in a state disaster and how I organized my cooking worked well for large crowds of people to feed. The recipes I selected were quick to prepare and filling.
After that, when I began my advertising business, I had projects for restaurants and cooking shows to advertise new locations, new menu items, and new shows for channels as Cable TV expanded in America. I learned a lot of experience. I spent some time with Real Estate shows learning about kitchen design and became interested in tile backsplashes as American homes were renovated for the countertops from laminate to granite, quartz, or marble, and backsplashes became more common, along with steel appliances, pantries, overhead lighting, and better quality cabinets and flooring. The large kitchen island with electrical outlets and cabinets underneath for storage came next, but first came drawers that pulled out for heavy dish and pan storage. I became experienced with all this, and added it to my knowledge of real estate. I assisted neighbors in my entire neighborhood with raising the value on their 1970's-80's homes with kitchen renovations long before solar panels for energy were installed on roofs. Bathroom renovations, garage conversions to gain square footage, and outdoor patio entertainment areas came next. Then came front and back door entry renovations to expand entryways and foyers. By now, I knew I was also interested in real estate, but my parents encouraged me to finish college, and what came next would still be there in the future.
Apart from my entrepreneurial skills and learning business management from my dad, my first job while graduating high school was working at a restaurant even before I turned 18. There were some tasks in the restaurant that I had to be 18 to do. I worked with this restaurant on a project to expand recipes to China and grew them to the number 1 chain for pizza in America, considering sales. I succeeded with these business projects and went on to earn an MBA after college. While in college, I kept returning to working for this company and became interested in having my own restaurant, so I started developing recipes at home again. Shef, a meal prep company, announced it was launching operations in my area, but after a few months, it decided not to. When I relocated to begin my own family, Shef launched, and I quickly joined, knowing this was the opportunity I was passionate about. I could have a virtual restaurant or ghost kitchen and make my own recipes, treating my home kitchen like a restaurant with cottage laws in the state allowing it legally, and I could Live Stream or record cooking shows of my own, even publish my own cookbook.
First, I offered small 1-2 portion meals and then increased to large groups of 4+ people, then came accepting orders online repeatedly for regular customers that wanted weekly meal deliveries, then large party trays, and finally, I began offering small and large sizes of most meal items. Currently, I am adding Summer Platters and have added more Sides, such as Kati Rolls, Gyro Wraps, Chicken Tikka Wraps, and Chicken 65 Rolls. As ideas occur and seasons change, I have become adept at finding a way in this market after Covid to make sales, and my regular customers have returned to me while I made new customers. Last year, my family considered opening my own restaurant, but the timing still wasn't just right. I delayed, implemented new ideas, and sales grew again after Shef changed delivery options to customers, affecting sales in my region. Ramadan 2025 was the first large sale period for Ramadan since Ramadan 2022, and I am grateful. Shef also decreased their marketing to promote new Shefs as they cut back on expenses in my region, so I did my own marketing, turning from Instagram and TikTok to Facebook Marketplace, and I got sales! I grew, and I implemented more into my online menu to offer a variety of items. Some said they wanted to see more Vegetarian options, others said they wanted rice or pita with the menu item, and other customers stated they needed smaller or larger portions, so I added a little of everything on different platforms considering delivery and just recently, I started offering half size and full size foil tray deliveries on Shef, albeit in food storage containers to prevent spilling of food. But I have finally grown to offer such large portions and found a way to have it delivered with delivery bags, making it possible for the drivers to transport. Home Chef services are next on my agenda, and I am so excited to see what the rest of this year will bring! In just some months, it is on to 2026! My journey is far from over as a Home Chef working for Shef, and I am inspired to create my best fusion dishes from my international travels. While I have a few being planned, I am excited to try their cuisine and implement those ideas to develop new dishes for my menu! If you've read this far, never give up on your dreams, even if it has to be your passionate side hustle! I appreciate you and look forward to you following along!
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