A British-Pakistani chef, Zahra Khan, has been included in the Forbes 30 under 30 list of Europe. The 29-year-old entrepreneur has been included in the list of retail and e-commerce category.
She is the founder of the two restaurants, Feya Café and Dyce in upscale Central London near the iconic Harrods and Selfridges retail store.
The 29-year-old chef has been chasing her dreams since the age of 13 when she was told that her future lies in science and that she cannot achieve anything worthy from culinary. Khan has graduated from celebrity chef Gordan Ramsay’s culinary academy.
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“At the age of 13, I was told to study sciences because I could not achieve a worthy career out of baking. I was repeatedly told that women are homemakers, only belonging in kitchens at home. I had fallen into a cultural stereotype; in Pakistan where I was born, women historically remain at a disadvantage due to cultural and religious barriers leading to setbacks like gender discrimination, unemployability, and mental health issues,” Khan said while speaking to Geo Tv.
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She said that she opened her first restaurant when she was expecting. Zahra Khan asserted that she is ready to open new retail outlets in further 25 cities outside the UK through franchise agreements. She said that she is looking forward to creating 400 jobs for women by 2025.
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Khan credits herself for being the only Pakistani woman to attend the prestigious culinary academy. “Moving to the UK and pursuing an independent career came with significant challenges, which in turn became my motivation to combat societal pressures and prove that women of any background can take professional leadership roles and empower other women, especially mothers,” she said.
Empowering females is the core strategy of her business which she believes has given success to her career.