Johannesburg - Local chef and entrepreneur Gita Guriah has faced some big challenges as a businesswoman – the Covid-19 pandemic and load shedding, which is growing to be another pandemic in many business sectors.
Guriah said that when she was given the opportunity to open Amainini's at the Newtown Music Factory in 2018, the place was buzzing, with many people showing interest in restaurants in the area.
Her knowledge of catering, her desire to show people her delectable South African menu, boost her business, and offer people employment opportunities are what drives her.
Guriah is also a nutritionist who offers her clients meal plans and food preparation courses that will assist them with their weight management goals or eating plans.
She said the Covid-19 outbreak changed everything, but the business continued to soldier on despite challenges such as load shedding, which she said had hit them hard.
“Amainini's Pty Ltd is the name of my business. The name means ‘little/small mother’ referring to the young aunty who takes care of the children while the actual mother goes out to work or to the market. Amainini's food is just like momma made it (but not as good) It's a cute spin-off from how people feel about their own mothers' cooking. The next best thing when a mother is not around,” she explains.
“I started the business here as a spin-off from what I was doing, which was getting a culinary diploma. I was given the opportunity to start a food business here. This used to be a very pumping place for restaurants. All the lovely restaurants were here but all have been closed down so having a restaurant at Bassline (Newtown Music Factory) was the ideal opportunity.
“It shut down because it wasn't only about Covid, it was about the alcohol ban. It was also pushed on us, so without the alcohol, you weren't getting any peep through the door. People didn't want to come out; they would rather stay at home. So the business shut down, and the staff was very upset because we were doing so well. It was so unfortunate that cars had to be sold and kids had to be pulled out of school and go to online schools. It was very quiet,” she said.
While most restaurants closed down, Guriah has continued to showcase her cooking alongside her team, serving dishes that keep customers coming back.
Speaking about load shedding, she said: “It has been extremely difficult because we cook for a living. And for people who buy food, meal time is meal time. If people want lunch, they want lunch. They don't want to wait for a certain time to eat. So cooking has its rules and timing. Those are the things that make or break your business. If you miss that, people will go somewhere else. So load shedding is extremely detrimental to small businesses, whether it's cooking, whether it is sewing, whether it's anything. It's breaking us, and it's raking our backs,” said Guriah.
She says she hopes to have a popular restaurant in a busy area where more people will get to taste her savoury South African menu.
“I would like to have a restaurant in an upmarket area where I can expand the business and employ more people because I do understand the fundamentals.”
The Star