Johannesburg - It’s advised you shouldn’t relinquish your day job – but sometimes it’s worth the gamble. MasterChef SA 2012 winner Deena Naidoo; Ultimate Braaimaster contenders Ashok and Jolene Naidoo (no relation to Deena), and David and Kat Smale of Baha Taco chat about taking chances
* The first MasterChef SA winner won a restaurant for two years. But Deena Naidoo, an IT specialist in the banking sector, was based in Durban, so he had to travel to Joburg every few weeks, while the restaurant was managed by Tsogo Sun at Montecasino.
The cautious Deena explains: “I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be able to ease myself out of my comfort zone into my new life by making the transition gradually. I also had the support of Tsogo so I could count on people who had expertise in the industry I was moving into and could coach me going forward rather than me trying to break into new ground on my own. This really took away the stress of moving from one career path to another.”
Riding high on the popularity of the television cooking show, Aarya thrived. Now, Deena and his family have moved to Jozi, to give the restaurant named in his daughter’s honour his all till the end of his contract with the group, which expires in November. After that, they’re expected to renegotiate with the group. Being the face of the business is sure to pay off.
“I moved to Joburg at the beginning of the year, transferring within my company, which puts me into a bigger corporate environment while allowing me to spend more time at Aarya. I’ve been so fortunate to be able to keep my job and indulge my passion at the same time. The opportunity was once in a lifetime and the decision I took was a calculated risk. I’ve been blessed.
“We’ve adjusted well to Joburg – but we’ve had a lot of time to plan for it. I didn’t have to put everything on the line to make that decision and my advice is to be cautious when making a life change. Don’t gamble with the security of your family. Make sure it’s a carefully calculated decision and, if you have the opportunity to compromise and take half a loaf instead of the whole, jump at it and only when you’re certain that it’s going to work out, go the whole way.”
* A short-term sacrifice for a long-term payoff – Jolene Naidoo was still hurting from her caesarean in hospital after delivering her baby boy when she and her husband Ashok were notified they were selected to audition for Justin Bonello’s first Ultimate Braai Master team. Talk about bad timing.
The Naidoos didn’t win the competition, but what they achieved was invaluable publicity on which they built. And the competition gave them the confidence to start their own business. Jolene explains: “We’re both passionate foodies. We made it through the rounds and less than two months after having a baby, we had to leave baby and teenage son with family at home – all this while renovating our new home. Then we heard we had made the top 15… We were going on an adventure of a lifetime!”
Ashok adds: “After much debate and deliberation we decided the best solution was have Jolene’s mom come through and take care of the boys. I had to give up my job (as a portfolio manager) if we wanted to be on the show as my company did not want to give me leave. Jolene had just taken a retrenchment package (as an insurance underwriter) at the end of 2012 and now this!
“So, no steady income, new addition to the family, new house… but we took the risk.
“Opportunities like this come along very seldom in a person’s life, so we grabbed on to it with both hands and embarked on a journey to create a better life for us and our family….we went with faith, prayer and our belief that everything in life has a purpose.
“After the show we finished off the home renovations, moved in with our family and started our catering and events company, The Mojo Experience. It has been tough and we have started out small, working from home with Jo being the driving force in the business while I’m at my day job. I join her in the evenings and on weekends to work on our dream.” (See www.themojoexperience.co.za)
* David Smale left the country for New York in 1986 and worked in the clothing industry for 12 years. He then moved to London, where he met Kat who is of Ukrainian-German descent and was in London to read for a business studies degree. A year later, they moved to Brighton where they ran a B&B and started a Mexican BYO restaurant.
Kat explains: “After a year working for someone else we decided to go it alone. We took a six-month lease for a booth on the Palace Pier in Brighton to do Mexican street food. In LA, David enjoyed Mexican fare, it was plentiful, but in the UK there just wasn’t any good Mexican food around, only TexMex. I was writing my dissertation using the example of our little Baha Grill. After the summer season we stumbled on to a fully equipped restaurant in Hove. We opened Coriander in October 2000. It developed a reputation as an organic restaurant serving global food. We have a passion for ethically produced foods and green issues. After four years we opened a full-on deli.”
“We sold that at the end of 2011, moved to Germany, and worked there and in Norway while deciding on our next move,” adds David. “Then we came to South Africa and started researching the food scene here. As we were leaving, the UK street food scene started to take off, and we saw the same potential for South Africa. We packed our car, cooking equipment and personal belongings into a shipping container and left Hamburg in March last year for South Africa, secured a slot at the Fourways Farmers Market and several beer and music festivals, making everything from scratch using local ingredients and traditional Mexican recipes. Our planning and persistence are paying off. We are now looking to expand Baha Taco. We are happy with the way things are going and are enjoying our lifestyle. We have met amazingly positive people.” (See www.facebook.com/BahaTaco)
Saturday Star