Chef and entrepreneur Zahra Khan is the founder and CEO of London’s hotspots Feya Café and DYCE, she is only in her twenties but she has already made her mark on the restaurant industry.
After she opened the award-winning dessert parlor DYCE and the Knightsbridge flagship of Feya Café in 2019, 2020 was supposed to be her biggest year yet: then COVID-19 hit.
Three of her cafes were forced to close due to lockdown but she didn’t let that affect the lives of her 25 staff that were depending on her, 75% of which are females. Zahra said, “With the restaurant industry hugely impacted, I knew we had to adjust our business model during the COVID crisis.”
She changed her strategy to focus on capturing the spirit of her cafes in a digital retail collection, she had the time and opportunity to change their focus and creativity to something new. Zahra wanted their customers to experience the joy and escape that they feel in their venues, at home.
This is how the Feya line was created, offering teas, jams, chocolates and so much more, Zahra wanted us to remember the power of a simple concept: positivity and solidarity. Through the use of uplifting colors and hand-painted illustrations she reminds us to smile and reclaim small acts of pleasure.
The Feya retail collection’s inspiration came from Zahra taking time out of all the 2020 chaos for her daily ritual of turning off screens and enjoying her tea with her daughters. Zahra wants to transform your daily routine into a series of magical moments made to be savored.
As a young Pakistani woman, the only one to ever attend the prestigious Tante Marie Culinary Academy, she is rising to the top of London’s food scene and fighting stereotypes in a male-dominated and western industry. She understands that for young women from diverse backgrounds, things are harder than ever amidst a pandemic. So, she founded the Feya Cares initiative, supporting women starting their career paths with 10% of the profits from sales going to Young Women’s Trust.
Zahra is determined that women everywhere know that with creativity, vision and grit there is still space for female entrepreneurs to thrive.
The Feya line can be purchased at feya.co.uk