ABDULLA KHAN | NT
Valpoi: Though COVID-19 has led to destruction globally, it has also shown the way to many individuals and brought out the best in them.
With lockdown or COVID curfew in place till recently in various places, many people have tried to put their culinary skills to test. Though some individuals limited their skills to making fancy coffees and perhaps a few types of cakes, a few others used the lockdown period to start their entrepreneurship journey.
When Sajid Sayed, a Gulf returnee, who worked as a catering supervisor in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), saw how his friend’s daughter missed restaurant food during the lockdown period, he took it upon himself to try and make her favourite pizzas at his home in Morlem-Keri in Sattari. His effort paid off, as the pizzas became an instant hit in his neighbourhood.
Impressed with his skills, his friend, Zohur Shah pushed Sajid to start a small venture in his shop, which was vacant, and thus was born Café La Familia on August 15, 2020. The café delivers fresh pizzas to people’s doorsteps.
Within a month of start, Sajid’s clientele grew by leaps and bounds and people not only from Morlem-Keri but also from Valpoi started visiting his café for takeaways. Later, Sajid started offering a wide range of options like chicken tikka, shwarma, Bombay pav bhaji to the customers.
Talking about Café La Familia, Sajid said, “I have always loved cooking for my family, but I had never dreamt of such a wonderful response to my pizzas. The publicity my pizzas attained through word of mouth helped me a lot in planning this café, which I think is the best decision in my life.”
Uncertain about when his Gulf work would resume, Sajid decided to consider the idea of his friend to start a café at his native place.
“I have done a course in culinary academy and was in UAE, working as a catering supervisor since 2014 after I left my job on a cruise liner. I came down to Goa to get married and to my surprise, we went in a total lockdown owing to the rise in COVID-19 cases. After my marriage, which was held in April (2020) amid the lockdown, I saw my career going nowhere,” recalled Sajid. After the pandemic shattered his career as a catering supervisor in the Gulf, Sajid was supported by his brother Adil Sayed to run the café, which is now doing roaring business in his village. In fact, Sajid is now playing with the idea of expanding his business by way of an outlet in rented premises along the Goa-Belagavi highway in Morlem-Keri. “Customer feedback has been encouraging; Moreover, the orders have been quite consistent,” he said.
Sajid, who started his venture with the available resources to please his friend’s daughter, is now providing his customers Italian and Indian cuisines and also Arabic food.
“What is more important is one should never get disappointed. You should try with what you have until you succeed. I am happy that my wife and family supported my bold decision during this unprecedented time. I have faced several ups and downs in my life but the COVID situation taught me a new lesson and I came out of this crisis with my patience and perseverance,” Sajid said.
When asked what he would suggest to others, who have lost their skilled jobs, Sajid said, “If you look back at other recessions or downturns in economy, great companies were born in such times. This pandemic will also give rise to some amazing startups and a host of new products and services.”