We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rona Shaeq a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rona, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Cooking has always been a part of her (Rona’s) life, that she loves to share with her family. Not only that but also her talent to make delicious food for guests as a hostess to them. Rona’s great technique to blend in different spices, as she’s lived in 4 different countries since her childhood, has gotten her a unique recognition in her cooking style and taste which was recognized and awarded (first position) in a cooking competition by the UN office that was held among 50 women in India. And seeing her family always being supportive of her, she always dreamt of owning her own business and franchise in future. She finds purpose and meaning in being hospitable with her delicious meals to her guest and in hopes of people from all around the world that want to taste a fusion of South Asia (countries including India, Afghanistan and Pakistan).
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a mom of four and wife of my amazing husband whose being very supportive since day one. I grew up in a household of 12 siblings, 8 sisters and 4 brothers, and me being the 3rd child of our home, I learned cooking by watching my mom and my older siblings helping her. And as we moved and I grew, I started helping out but also learning and perfecting my skills in kitchen. Our move to a new country (Pakistan), we learned to modify our home food with the new spices and ingredients but also keeping the original recipes of my home country Afghanistan. Our move back and forth and finally in 2008 to India had given me a newer opportunity to try something new and by then I had my own kids and husband to try my new recipes on. That opportunity led me to work for a well-known Afghan Restaurant in India for a little while. I was able to compete in Refugee Women’s Cooking competition and bring the 1rst prize home. My accomplishments made me to strive for bigger dreams like owning my own restaurant one day in future. I also wanted to pass this on to my daughters, teaching them from a young age my cooking skills and as they, just like me, were brought up in a different culture and country like I was, they also developed some far better skills than I did into making Indian food. And finally coming to America seeing and trying different foods again is a challenge that I would like to take on.
What excites me to have my own restaurant is that I know a lot of my fellow countrymen and women miss their home country food, and even refugees who have been through the same path (countries) I have passed through that miss the smell, taste and feel of maybe ‘the best time of their lives’ that they had, I want to be able to bring it back.
Rona’s Kitchen is made in the memories of those who left their countries because of war, difficulties and persecution and had to become a refugee in a foreign country. But while in the midst of all the difficulties and challenges, them fighting back and not giving up their dreams and using that as an opportunity to work towards something worth struggling for, their dreams and ambitions. It may be a beacon of hope and a light in our communities and to those with dreams that IT’S POSSIBLE to make it happen.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. One of the qualities or skills I would say is that I’m very curious though it could be annoying at times but I was also interested how my mom made food in the kitchen, how it will taste differently if I add this spice or ingredient, how can I have different versions of the same recipe, how to be different than others, trying new vegetables that I’d never knew existed, how does measuring of spices could change the taste of the food and it was encouraging to myself when it would turn out great and best of both worlds. 2. My move in different countries also impacted my cooking skills as there people used different species and different skills or methods of cooking than what I already knew. When I then started interchanging spices to different foods I cooked, it always drew people’s attention in a good way. The skill to sometimes adapt and use it to your benefit could be useful in future.
3. I would say develop the skill of hospitality, being more kind and sometimes even treating your guests as royalties, to prepare the best of the best and that sometimes pushes you to new boundaries.
My advice is to you first have to enjoy your own food, don’t be a people pleaser, try your new recipes and see if you like it to the extend you want to share it. Be also curious and hospitable, having a heart to share your food with others, which is something that’s vanishing in today’s society. And believe in yourself, that you can develop these skills, it might not be same but shall be unique to your own personality.
Contact Info:
- Website: ronaskitch.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronaskitch/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559247386715&mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
Abram Shaeq, shot by iPhone
