At BrilliantRead Media, it is our constant endeavour to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this, we invited Jahanvi for an exclusive interview with us. She is an Entrepreneur, Baker, Food Consultant and Influencer. Jahanvi is the Founder of Zini’s Café. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, her background, and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Jahanvi:
We are aware of your contributions to the ecosystem; talk us through your background and your journey, please;
I am 20 and from Udaipur, a small yet magnificent town in Rajasthan. I have always had an immense passion for hospitality, especially in the Food & Beverage department so to say.
I initially started with an online food delivery service called ‘Bites Nouveau’ when I was 17 years old. I used to deliver cakes, breads and an extensive continental menu on a pre-order basis through call or Instagram. It blew up pretty quickly and the feedback was quintessential.”
The abundant amount of orders on a daily basis made me think of opening an outlet which represents not only my food but my persona throughout a place. That’s when I decided to open a café, currently called – ‘ZINI’s Café’ – A lake view bohemian café curated and designed entirely by me from the menu to the little details.
The grand opening took place in October 2020 whereas the project started in December 2019. I am happy to create a place at such a young age which people of Udaipur are in love with and teenagers can’t get enough of their #instagrammable spots at ZINI’s.
How did you discover your passion?
My Dad is from the hospitality industry and my grandmother loves cooking and baking. Growing up in such an environment, I believe is what made me fall in love with the culinary as well as the business aspect of the industry.
I started baking when I was 9 and I remember being curious to try new things in the kitchen.”
I realized this is what made me happy and since then I have never looked back. Currently, I am pursuing my higher studies, BBA from Glion, Switzerland in International Hospitality Management.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
During the covid pandemic, it was evidently a very hard time for the entire hospitality industry. Many people were shutting off or dealing with huge losses in the food and beverage industry whereas I decided to open a new café. This may come as a surprise as to why someone would want to invest in something so uncertain at that time.
I observed that staying home and quarantined made people’s desire to have food from outside ten times more. Food delivery services were booming at that time so I started my cloud kitchen and delivery of food in Udaipur. Furthermore, I knew when the lockdown rises and the situation becomes better people are going to prefer eating out twice as much as earlier.”
As expected, once the curfew and lockdown were lifted up, cafes and restaurants were flooded with people. I believe that even in the tough times and challenges, to have a vision and be optimistic towards your business is very crucial but most importantly believe in your dream and ideas & you’ll be unstoppable!
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
Interestingly enough, I believe my motivation to do what I love and keep going has come from a lot of places and people.
My family has been immensely supportive of my passion and dreams and has pushed me to do my best. I have watched endless amounts of episodes of MasterChef and every cooking show that there is on Netflix.
They keep me interested and have taught me so many things along the way. I look up to chefs like Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, Gagan Anand and Vikas Khanna to name a few. Their stories, backgrounds and passion for the food industry provide me with a sense of devotion and motivation. Travelling to new places, states, countries and being able to try different cuisines has been a privilege and something I feel the most excited about.
But most importantly, looking up to my dad and seeing him work so hard and diligently has been my biggest motivation. And as mentioned earlier, it is also the core reason for my interest in the hospitality industry.
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
I would say treat your work as your baby, Put all the time and effort in it and it will turn out better than you would imagine.
Personalisation can make a huge difference. Be patient and passionate towards your business and it is essential to enjoy the journey and the process as much as the end result or profits.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few:
(1) Being confident
(2) Observing and Optimizing
(3) Setting Goals and having a vision
(4) Recognize opportunities to grow and create
(5) Embrace the journey!
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
To everyone success will mean different things. For me, it is to be able to do what I love and be happy.
Some of the few keys to success which I believe in are:
> Gratitude
> Empathizing with people
> Standing up for myself
> Staying consistent
> Dreaming big
> Always being open to learn new things
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
I am quite young myself so I can tell what has worked for me. Coming up with new ideas and bringing them to life might not be as easy as it sounds but believing in yourself and never giving up is the key. Thinking out of the box and keeping up with the trends is equally important.
I would advise you to keep going despite the hurdles, make the best out of any situation and learn from your failures. You will always achieve your dreams when you are consistent, hard-working and passionate.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
