Strangers will support your bizz more than friends do
Patricia Kawara, 27, the owner of Spoonful Caterers.
Patricia Kawara, 27, the owner of Spoonful Caterers, initially had no passion for cooking. She wanted to work in the health sector as a nurse, but she did not meet the qualifications. So, she opted for a different course.
“Before I joined university, I never thought I would ever involve myself in any form of cooking as I was not one bit passionate about it. All I wanted was to be a nurse, but I did not meet the aggregate points,” she says.
She is a graduate of hospitality and tourism management from Machakos University.
What piqued her interest in cooking was her internship at Lake Naivasha Panorama Park where she had made friends who taught her baking and cooking tips that captured her interest.
“After internship, they would employ me as a casual during the holidays and I perfected my art in cooking,” Patricia recalls.
In her third year at the university, she requested her mother to buy her an oven so that she could start baking and sell cakes to her classmates.
“The business picked so well that I had to look for representatives in other classes to help me sell at a commission. I also started hawking in hostels and made good money,” she says.
Mentorship
Patricia used to admire pictures of catering posted on social media platforms by one chef who was doing well in the sector and developed so much interest in his trade. She contacted him, asking if he could help her start a catering company.
“I believed in myself. The chef gave me an opportunity to work with him. After about three engagements, I asked if he could link me up to a source of utensils. He mentored and walked me down the business path and was there to answer any question arising,” she says.
With the little savings, topped with a loan, she was able to source for a few utensils to start her off, not to a good start though.
“I bought the utensils in around July of 2017, but I did not know how to start since I didn't have pictures of my own to market the business on social media. Around that time, there was a lot of bashing for using someone else’s pictures,” she says.
To get pictures, she had to finance a free event, sort of a thanksgiving ceremony in her church on her birthday in October of 2017.
“I had a photographer who captured the moments and I uploaded the pictures. From that event, someone in the youth group contracted me for her wedding in December of the same year to do catering services for approximately 500 people. It was such a challenge for a starter but we did it. I posted the photos of the events I catered for and enquiries started coming in.”
To market her business, she uses social media. Referrals from satisfied clients has also helped her business grow.
“I love leaving smiles on my clients’ faces. People may forget about an event, but not the food they ate.”
Besides interning for a job in the tourism sector, she had never been employed and says she is among the many graduates who are doing different engagements from their acquired skills. She also started catering gigs while on campus and still does to date.
Her company, Spoonful Caterers, is more of a mobile business, taking services where they are needed, be it at weddings, birthdays, corporate, bridals events, and funerals.
“We do family lunches and also train people to cook, especially home managers in the comfort of clients’ houses,” she says.
Challenges exist as she notes that the industry is saturated, presenting stiff competition.
Lessons
Along the way, business has taught Patricia some valuable lessons.
“One thing I have learnt is that friends will not give you business, same with family members who want you to give them services for free. But strangers will build your brand,” she says.
If an employment opportunity were to arise, that offers better than business, would she jump ship?
“I love diversity and I want to diversify my source of income. I learnt this especially when the pandemic struck as there were literally no events owing to containment measures in place. I would also love to know what it feels on the other side of the job market, although I love the freedom that comes with self-employment and being your own boss,” she says.
Patricia has 15 employees on a casual basis, mostly youth.
“I get most of my staff from schools that offer hospitality courses. Someone empowered while in school would love to do the same after graduating,” she notes.
She reinvests her profits back into the business to cater for the ever-rising demand. Utensils, she says, are never enough, and almost every month, a new chaffing dish comes in the market and she has to keep up with the trends.
Away from doing business, Patricia is a mother, wife, and a medical student. She feels like she has a lot of untapped potential and wants to explore different fields while still in business.
