We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Halima Tajiri Shelton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Halima Tajiri below.
Hi Halima Tajiri , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
The idea of starting Tajiri’s kitchen Swahili flavor came up 10 years ago after I had moved to Saudi Arabia to live with my husband. I was a housewife, and I figured out what I would do at the comfort of my house during my free time. Since I love cooking, I started taking photos and videos of every meal i prepared. I opened both YouTube and facebook channel accounts whereby I would share my recipes, photos, and videos.
Halima Tajiri , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Am a Kenyan,born and raised in Mombasa island. I come from the Swahili community led by Swahili culture, which is a multicultural influence of Arab,Indian, and Portuguese blend. Our main language is Swahili. Rice and fish are our staple food, among others. In Swahili culture, the girl child is equipped with cooking skills from a young age. My mother did her best. I enjoyed every lesson, and cooking became fun to date.
Tajiri’s kitchen Swahili flavor is African cuisine,we started the year 2019 by sharing homemade food recipes on YouTube, Facebook, tiktok, and instagram. I moved to the USA in late 2019, and by mid of 2020 I had met some friends . At this point, I started introducing Swahili flavor foods and African cuisine to them, family friends , and colleagues. I would cook for family get-together gatherings, invite friends and colleagues for lunch or supper, they liked it. This marked the genesis of orders. In a span of months’ word spread about my cooking, the community gave the extra motivation push vibe, 2023 we officially registered Tajiri’s kitchen .We host online cooking lessons through our online platforms by sharing our recipes and catering services.our meals are traditionally prepared using Swahili spices whereby our ingredients are fresh organic, which sets us apart from others. We are proud and happy to serve both individuals and cooperation. We cater for wedding events, graduations, birthdays, etc. I would like to inform our clients that Tajiri’s kitchen is legally registered and certified, fully equipped enough to serve any event. Our client’s satisfaction is paramount,we deliver right and on time. The future plan of Tajiri’s kitchen is to open a restaurant and have a food track whereby we can fully reach and serve our clients.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
The journey was not a walk in the park. We set capital plans to guide us on how long to save it required a lot. We generate money from Tajiri’s kitchen online on social platforms. I had to get a job when we got here in the USA as well as my partner, who is my husband. Every month, we would both save aside an agreed amount for Tajiri’s commercial kitchen plan.
How’d you meet your business partner?
We met through an online dating site in early 2014. My profile captured his interest, he approached me, and we both shared mutual interest. A few days after he proposed and our wedding plans commenced immediately. We got married in the same year, November. We became best friends and partners in all our endeavors.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tajiris_kitchen/profilecard/?igsh=cm9oNnVkMWJ5bDho
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057301995871&mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tajiriskitchenswahiliflavo1723
Image Credits
Images include Halima Tajiri and her husband Eyad Shelton and Sons Parmena Mungatana and Eric Shelton. And the wedding was for Mary and Mike. The other photos are for events.