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Name: Sadaf Fayyaz
Business: Cooking With Sadaf
Location: Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Industry: Food & Beverage
Reason for starting? I needed some money in 2006. I knew how to make and prepare delicious food. I hired a young boy and started delivering Biriyani to the nearest University Cafe. I made some money from that. After that I got some new business ventures. In the year 2010, I was offered to host a cooking show at SDTV. I took it as a challenge and a way to develop more skills. In 2011, an FM radio offered me to host their cooking show “Khageena”. Despite doing all this, I continued my food and beverage business. In the year 2012, I expanded my business to fitness and meditation too.
Most of my clients are people who want low calorie and tasty food. I take care of that too. Some people demand specific seasonal beverages like “Falsa Drink”. Our climate is very hot. The seasonal drinks like “Falsa Drink” and “jal zeera” are good for dehydration and helping to stay cool in the heat. This is how my story goes like.
Related: Read about another Foodie entrepreneur here.
How do you define success? I define success as being happy and satisfied in whatever I do. I can be a food expert. I can be a yoga specialist who heals people with exercise and tips. I can be a nutritionist who knows the exact value of food and beverages. I need to take out time for my family too. I know how to make food for a diabetic. I know how to make food for a depressed person. I know which herbs prevents and cures depression. I know what food is good for a sugar patient. Apart from this, I also work as a comic artist and entertainer. I do not stop other activities of mine. A balanced life and a happy family makes you successful. This is how I define success.
Biggest success: There is a huge list of success stories. My biggest success was the day when my TV show got aired for the first time. As as chef, I have been interviewed by many magazines of Pakistan, UK and USA.
What is your top challenge and how you have addressed it? My top challenge was changing the mindsets of people about food and nutrition. For example, red chili powder is used in many dishes here, but I have never used it because it damages your colon and intestines. I also tell people not to use some herbs and foods as they damage our immune system in the long run. Sometimes I get e-mails from obese teenage girls who want to loose 90 pounds in two days. That is wrong. I also guide people to stay away from fast dieting plans. Losing weight gradually over a period of time with the right food and beverages is the best choice. Internal health is also very important. We women need more calories than men.
Related: Women’s Stories Reveal the Richness of Female Entrepreneurship
Who is your most important role model? Chef Kokab Khwaja and Chef Zubeda Tariq are my role models. The late Farah Jahanzeb Khan was also a role model.
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Edited by The Story Exchange