Daughters in Succession
September 27, 2020
In the traditionally male-dominated Restaurant industry, these daughters are taking forward their family legacy.
Natasha D’Souza, Upper Crust
Ever since I was a child, my mother has taught me how to bake and cook. Growing up in and around the kitchen, I realized that this is my passion. So when I was 12, I started baking for my friends and family and I received a lot of positive feedback and that’s when I decided that this is something I want to do professionally as well and join my family’s business.
My father, being a pastry chef, has taught me a lot. I also grew up watching a lot of cooking and baking shows which inspired me. I graduated from Le Cordon Bleu London where I studied Patisserie.
My parents always say to work hard and never compromise on quality.
Society is mainly male-dominated but since the past few years, things have changed and there’s a lot of women bakers and entrepreneurs out there who run their own successful businesses.
Anushree Modi, Rasna Restaurant
Since my toddler days I used to go to Rasna and spend time observing my father doing the business. The naive me got very fascinated by the whole concept of feeding people and build a very healthy customer relationship.
After exploring a lot as a Literature Student & a solo Traveler, in 2015, one evening I went to Rasna and I instantly felt like belong here. And since then I am associated with Food Industry via Rasna and food blogging.
I observe my father a lot. His tricks and tips in regards to the emerging situation in the business gave me an immense level of learning which I think will be helping me a lot even in the coming future
My parents always tell me one thing, that no failure or success is the end of the road.
Embrace what comes to AMD move forward. I try and live up to those words.
Shibani Shah, La Feasta
Food is one thing that brings a smile to almost everyone and being able to taste delicious food according to one’s individual pallet takes that joy to another level.
Always having believed in that and having a want to travel for taste led me to have a degree in hospitality.
After having acquired experience, joining the family business long established by my parents and soulfully crafted and run by my mother, was always the main goal.
The aim was to try to bring new ingredients and pop up items in the weekly specials to get to know how well the dishes are accepted.
Trials and trials along with the experience and guidance of my parents, my mother Renu Shah in the management of the restaurant and my father Alpesh Shah in the financial aspect led me to learn the market and workplace better.
La Feasta has always had a major share of marketing through the word of mouth. The reason behind it like my mother always said is ‘Consistency’ and there is no other dominance in today’s market when you see the long term other than ‘Consistency’.
In such uncertain times where everyone is wanting to survive this sole motto will help thrive the restaurant business back.
Shinali Shah- La Feasta
I have always been a foodie and what better way to give my taste buds an exercise than to join the restaurant. But more importantly, management is my forte. Having a restaurant means making sure that the supply chain, communication between the staff and customer service is perfect and up to the mark. Having a degree in management helped me put my theoretical knowledge into practice.
I think the learning curve started when I was very young. I would go to the restaurant after school and observe my mom while doing school homework. The humble way she used to interact with customers and staff. Always smiling and getting past bottlenecks and difficulties with her communication skills and positive attitude. When I grew up and finished studies I had the opportunity to step into the business. Just cause I was the daughter of the owner didn’t mean I was cut any slack. From day one I had to reach the restaurant sharp at 9:30am. Punctuality and being disciplined was one of my major learnings. Being in the kitchen with the chef, learning from them about cooking, observing their workings and making sure it was up to the mark. It was more of an on the job learning experience. Talking from the management perspective we had to deal with suppliers, negotiating prices, making sure we always had fresh stock and so much more. With the help of my dad, we would come up with better marketing strategies and ideas to attract customers and keep them happy. My parents were always supportive of new ideas and trying out new food and presentation styles into the menu.
My parents taught me that food has to be consistent and of the best quality.
Interacting with customers and getting their reviews is of utmost importance.
Always be humble and easy to approach.
About Author
Ankita J Sharma studied journalism at NIMCJ and Integrated marketing communication at MICA, Ahmedabad. She works as a Social media coordinator and content creator for brands. Her food Instagram handle is @teekhidalmakhani.
