According to tuko.co.ke, the Kenyan woman’s decision to quit banking was when she realized that a side catering business called Spice Land that she was running was booming.
She told the news website in an interview that she loves cooking and watching people eat her food with joy, so as she noticed that the food business was picking up, she decided to give it her full attention.
As of 2015, Pamellah was a bank manager, and quitting her job did not sit well with friends and loved ones, but she stood her ground.
“Being a bank manager no longer made sense, so I decided to concentrate on this baby of mine despite the naysayers,” tuko.co.ke quotes her as having said.
Her food business was flourishing until Covid-19 hit the world in 2020 and destabilized many economies and their hospitality industries, including that of Kenya.
In order to survive the economic downturn, Pamellah thought it prudent to diversify by adding fish frying to the cooking business, all of which she delivered to homes during the lockdown occasioned by covid-19. Then, her fish supplier disappointed her, which caused the fish frying business to nosedive.
“Even after the lockdown was lifted business never returned to normal as people are now used to smaller events. Fast forward to now and we struggle with the high cost of food,” she lamented.
Despite the odds, Pamellah continuous to persevere and now, a bigger chunk of her clients is from the diaspora, some of whom either order for their families in Kenya or ask for meals to be sent to them whenever someone is travelling, tuko.co.ke reports.
With the harsh circumstances that occurred after she quit her banking job, anyone in Pamellah’s shoes might contemplate returning to the corporate environment to seek refuge. But she remains resolute.
“Banking gave me skills in handling customer complaints and managing expectations, business continuity planning, and marketing,” she said.
In addition to cooking, Pamellah has a Facebook group called Let's Cook Kenyan Meals. She and other food lovers congregate to exchange ideas and celebrate their craft. She also has been able to teach hundreds of others the art of cooking through the group after which some of them have gone on to launch their own enterprises.