We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anajd Dokaj. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anajd below.

Hi Anajd , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear your thoughts about family businesses.

La Baia Italian Food originated in Italy as “La Baia dei Sapori,” a family-run food truck. My mother Anila is a chef, and my father Petrit has many years of experience working in kitchens at various restaurants. We have always been a close-knit family, and this business has brought us even closer together. After leaving Italy and our family business, I missed that supportive environment and the joy of working with my loved ones.

In 2019, I bought my food trailer, designed to provide all the comforts of a restaurant. The arrival of Covid in 2020 had a dramatic impact on California; a vibrant city became eerily quiet. To adapt, my father and I decided to create a small food cart, featuring crepes with Nutella and fresh fruit. We started building in our backyard, and within weeks, we were ready to operate in Los Angeles. Our Nutella crepes, which we had also made in Italy, quickly gained popularity, allowing us to share our family recipes with the Los Angeles community.

By 2022, my food truck was complete, and with renewed enthusiasm, I relaunched this familiar venture. The United States truly is the land of opportunity; there’s no other place where hard work is recognized and where you can change your destiny and realize your dreams.

In August 2024, my wife Monica and I made the decision to move to Columbus, traveling across nine states with our food truck. It was a wonderful journey, and as we arrived in Columbus, we were greeted with a stunning double rainbow—an incredible welcome.

Everything we have accomplished would not have been possible without the unwavering support and help of our family. Like any family, we have our disagreements, but whenever one of us needs assistance, we are all there for each other. This is why La Baia is a family business—the whole family contributes and helps out, whether it’s shopping, cleaning, or preparing food. Often, our children join us; they play while we work, but they also pay attention to customers, learning the importance of giving out business cards and expressing gratitude.

My sister and I grew up watching our parents work in restaurants, often accompanying them to places with music and karaoke. This experience taught us how to connect with people, make friends everywhere, and respect our work. For us, food symbolizes tradition, family, and togetherness—values we are instilling in our children, hoping they will one day share our passion for this business.

In Italy, we say, “Work ennobles man,” and that’s the lesson we want to pass on to our children: the importance of hard work, which is second only to the value of love for family.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Anajd Dokaj, and my family and I proudly operate La Baia Italian Food, our food truck that began serving the Columbus community on September 14, 2024. Although we are a new addition to this vibrant city, our customers have embraced us, expressing that we fill a wonderful gap in the local culinary scene.

At La Baia, we focus on providing authentic Italian cuisine, offering delicious options like pizza, lasagna, sandwiches, and Nutella crêpes. Our mission is to share the genuine flavors of Italy, drawing from our cherished family recipes and traditions. We are committed to maintaining the highest quality in our ingredients, as we believe that great food should always reflect the authentic tastes of Italy.

The feedback from our guests has been incredibly rewarding. Italians who visit often share how our offerings remind them of home, and those experiencing our pizza for the first time often leave enchanted by the flavors. We take great pride in fostering this connection to Italian culture and cuisine through our food.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

All our customers are wonderful. We are very active on social media, answering questions and interacting with everyone. Social media is like a gathering place, and we are just a click away.

What truly makes a difference in all interactions and human relationships is the way we welcome and respect our customers. A simple greeting and asking how they are can go a long way.

While I’m not sure I can offer formal advice, I believe the key to success is to truly love your job and to convey that passion to your customers with respect and kindness.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

On our first day of work in Old Worthington, my wife had a brilliant idea: to offer samples of our pizza to passersby. The response was phenomenal—everyone loved it and immediately bought one! Many took to social media to share their experience, and that sparked interest from even more people eager to try our pizza. Our unique style clearly stands out from the other options in Columbus, igniting curiosity among locals and even attracting Italians who recognized the comforting aroma of home in our pizza. This led to an enthusiastic word-of-mouth buzz that spread like wildfire among friends, colleagues, and family.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/la_baia_italian_food/profilecard/?igsh=YmNyZmd2YzU1dDFj
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FdP8uRf9Y/?mibextid=wwXIfr