Cooking through the storms of life

 “In June of 2008, my mother had a stroke. We spoke every day on the telephone as I tried to go on leave to visit her. It took about four weeks for my three-day leave request to go through; such was the demanding nature of my job at a bank.

Anyway, in the end I was given the go-ahead. Finally I was going to see my mother.

“But that was not to be. At 8pm the next Tuesday, I received a call from my aunt. There was no need to travel to Kisumu the next day. Mum was gone.

“Two weeks after the funeral, I got a call concerning a tumour that had been found in my stomach. Thankfully it was benign, but I still needed to have it surgically removed.

It was four months of hospital visits and bed rests before I was given the green light to go back to work.

I was happy to have something to keep my mind off recent events, but relief soon gave way and I was overwhelmed as my tasks piled up — even with reporting at work as early as 6am and leaving at 8pm, I still had an endless to-do list.

Violet, a friend with whom I had run a catering business before going into employment, saw how much I was struggling and invited me back. But my medical expenses had exhausted my cover and put me in debt. For two months, therefore, I tried in vain to tame my workload.

“My friend and I had started catering in 1999, eight years after graduating from the polytechnic with a diploma in institutional management.

EXPECTED TO BE HAPPY

Before going into business I had expected to be happy in employment, but the routine of my work at a hotel had become such a grind that I even questioned my place in hospitality.

My sister, whom I look up to, is an auditor. Believing that the genes must run in our family, I resigned from my hotel job in 1997 to study accounting.

I looked forward to earning my friends’ everlasting admiration since they were terrified of anything remotely mathematical.

But, alas! That dream was shattered when I dropped out of accounting school in the first semester; juggling my studies with my fledgling business proved impossible. Now that I think about it, I attended class for just three weeks.

“Catering became less demanding as we got the hang of it and most of our jobs were scheduled for weekends.

While visiting a friend with a group of women, I mentioned that I was considering going back into employment to fill up my empty weekdays.

One of the women said that she had heard of a sales position at a bank. However, she said, I did not look like I could succeed in sales.

That sounded like a challenge to me. I visited the bank the next day to inquire about the position. Instead, I was interviewed — and hired!

“With my new job came a new challenge: one of the conditions in the banking industry is that employees must have a university degree.

My diploma in institutional management would allow some exemptions if I studied a related discipline. Therefore, in 2006 I enrolled at the university to study hotel management.

And so my double life began. I arrived at work at 6am and headed for school at 5pm. I typically got back home at midnight.

“Some of my former schoolmates at the polytechnic were also studying at the university.

They planned to leave employment for catering and were so excited about entering a life that I had left behind that I found myself reconsidering my choices.

It had been a year since I had participated in building the catering business and I did not want to impose on my partner. If I was going to go back into full-time catering, I was going to go it alone.

However, I did not have the capital to start up. And I felt unprepared — even after graduating. The mixed reactions from the family members and friends with whom I shared my thoughts did not help my confidence.

“Fast-forward to 2009, my partner invited me back. We talked and I realised that she, in fact, could use my help. Moreover, we had always complemented each other.

It was difficult to settle back into the business, however. Catering jobs were few and paid poorly — and I had my debts to pay. For six months I tried to find another job in vain. In the meantime, I took on independent business consulting jobs and managed to pay off the debt.

“Violet and I recently shifted our focus from weddings to home-based events. That was a good move. We have also expanded our business and now offer homestay accommodation and hiring grounds for events.

It is a daily struggle, this business. Our margins continue taking a hit as we struggle to balance the ever-rising cost of food with our clients’ limited budgets, but seeing people going for seconds and thirds motivates me to keep on cooking.”

HOW SHE DID IT:

•    I picked up a love for good food from my grandfather. He was an excellent cook.

•    I spent time growing my skills by helping my mother in the kitchen.

•    I tried many things and learnt to accept what was working and what was not.

•    I became partners with a friend. Her support helped me make tough decisions.

•    Trying out new and different recipes wins new customers and keeps the old ones coming back.