Wikipedia

Munaf Kapadia

Munaf Kapadia is an Indian entrepreneur and author of the book How I Quit Google To Sell Samosas[1] published by HarperCollins India in April 2021.[2] He is the founder of The Bohri Kitchen and a Forbes 30 under 30 finalist (2017).[3]

Munaf Kapadia
Munaf Kapadia, 2020
Munaf Kapadia, 2020
Born1988 (age 35–36)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
OccupationEntrepreneur, author
LanguageEnglish, Hindi
Alma materNarsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
Notable worksHow I Quit Google to Sell Samosas
Notable awardsForbes 30 under 30

Introduction

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Munaf Kapadia (born 22 November 1988) is an Indian entrepreneur and author of the book How I Quit Google to Sell Samosas published by HarperCollins India.[4][5] He is the founder of The Bohri Kitchen a food venture started by Kapadia and his mother in 2014.[6] He was included in Forbes magazine's 30 under 30 list in 2017 for turning his mum's home cooked food into a renowned brand.[7][8]

Munaf holds an MBA in marketing at SVKM's NMIMS and spent 4 years as Account analyst at Google India. In 2015, he quit his job at Google India to become the full time CEO of The Bohri Kitchen.[9] The Bohri Kitchen began as a supper club run by Munaf and his mother that catered homemade Bohri food to guests in a sit-down experience at their home in Colaba.[10] In 2017, Kapadia won the reality TV show Grilled, produced by Fox Life.[11] In the same year he raised seed funding to set up cloud kitchens that would deliver Bohri food under The Bohri Kitchen brand.[12]

In 2019, The Bohri Kitchen had five outlets across Mumbai. In 2020, HarperCollins India commissioned Munaf to write a book on his entrepreneurial journey, learnings and experiences running the Bohri Kitchen. The book – How I Quit Google to Sell Samosas,[1] released worldwide in April 2021.[5]

Early life

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Munaf Kapadia was born in Mumbai, India. He is the youngest of four children. He completed his school from Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai and attended H.R. College of Commerce and Economics and Narsee Monjee School of Commerce and Economics.[13] In 2011, after graduating with an MBA in Marketing from SVKM NMIMs, Munaf joined Wrigley India as a trainee. He quit within 4 months to take up a role in Google India based out of Hyderabad.[14]

Career

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Munaf started his career as a trainee with Wrigley India where he spent 3 months in Mysore as part of his training program in 2011.[15] He quit Wrigley's and joined Google India in 2011 as an Analytical Lead. He spent 4 years at Google India before he resigned to become the full time Chief Eating Officer at The Bohri Kitchen.[16]

The Bohri Kitchen is a food venture that Munaf started with his mother Nafisa Kapadia while he was still employed at Google India in 2014. He was inspired by his mother's cooking to start a weekend project under the brand name The Bohri Kitchen, a concept dining experience based out of the Kapadia home, allowed paid guests to experience the food and eating traditions of the Dawoodi Bohra community, on weekends.[17][18]

The concept garnered press, critical acclaim and accolades from various quarters of the hospitality and film industry in Mumbai and India.[19] The brand's immense popularity gained within a short period of time prompted Kapadia to quit his job at Google in July 2015. Since then, Munaf Kapadia and his mother have become the face of the Home Chef movement in India.[20]

In 2016, Munaf set up a cloud kitchen in Worli out of which he did home deliveries for The Bohri Kitchen. In 2017, he raised 13.5 million in his first round of funding to scale the brands delivery footprint across Mumbai.[21] In 2019, Munaf was operating 4 cloud kitchens and a Quick Service Restaurant outlet under The Bohri Kitchen generating a turnover of INR 40 million annually.[22][23]

Author

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In 2020, Munaf was commissioned by HarperCollins India to write a book about his experiences building and operating The Bohri Kitchen.[24] The book How I Quit Google to Sell Samosas[25] was released worldwide in April 2021.[26][27]

Reception

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Munaf Kapadia has received praise and recognition for his work with The Bohri Kitchen in New York Magazine, Anissa Helou's book Feast: Food of the Islamic World (2018).[28]

Kapadia has also cast a spotlight on the Dawoodi Bohra community, its rich cuisine and traditions through The Bohri Kitchen.[29][30] He has also worked with the MTDC to boost tourism in the state through the promotion of regional cuisines.[31] In 2017, Kapadia won the Fox Life's reality TV show Grilled.[32] Munaf's efforts have been documented in travel and lifestyle publications such as Vogue India, Condé Nast Traveller and Verve Magazine.[33][34][35]

Kapadia has been invited to share his journey as an entrepreneur on platforms such as TEDx and INK Talks.[36]

References

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  1. ^ a b Kapadia, Munaf (2021). How I quit Google to sell aamosa : adventures with the Bohri kitchen. India: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-93-5422-257-3. OCLC 1240576784.
  2. ^ Manghnani, Devika (14 April 2021). "How Munaf Kapadia quit Google to sell samosas. And then, wrote a book about it". www.indiafoodnetwork.in. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Forbes India – 30 Under 30: Munaf Kapadia Has Turned His Mum's Cooking Into A Brand". Forbes India. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Selling samosas in a pandemic". Mintlounge. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b "'For me, The Bohri Kitchen was always a story to tell': Munaf Kapadia on his book and journey". The Indian Express. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Munaf Kapadia reveals the challenges of setting up The Bohri Kitchen". Mumbai Mirror. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Forbes India – 30 Under 30: Munaf Kapadia Has Turned His Mum's Cooking Into A Brand". Forbes India. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Munaf Kapadia wants to take Bohri cuisine from Mumbai to Manhattan". www.indulgexpress.com. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  9. ^ "This MBA graduate quit his job at Google to sell mutton samosas – The Bohri Kitchen". The Economic Times. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Munaf Kapadia: A Google exec who became a samosa seller". Arab News PK. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  11. ^ "'Grilled' winner gets Rs 1.5 cr investment for food start-up". The Financial Express. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  12. ^ Srinivasan, Supraja. "Venture Catalysts invests in Munaf Kapadia's Bohri Kitchen". The Economic Times. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Dark Kitchen – Virtual Conference". www.restaurantindia.in. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Families in Food: Mother's Recipe". The Indian Express. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Working at Google wasn't cutting it, that's how The Bohri Kitchen was born". ThePrint. 10 April 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  16. ^ "'I quit Google and launched a business with my mum'". BBC News. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  17. ^ "'I quit Google and launched a business with my mum'". BBC News. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  18. ^ "He Quit Google to Sell Samosas. Today, His Fans Include Movie Stars!". The Better India. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  19. ^ Lazarus, Susanna Myrtle (8 October 2015). "Plating up a meaty meal". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  20. ^ Pratap, Rashmi. "Come home to food". @businessline. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Venture Catalysts backs specialised cuisine startup The Bohri Kitchen". VCCircle. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  22. ^ Leader, The Weekend. "For this MBA graduate mom's cooking skills helped build a Rs 4 crore turnover eatery chain leaving a cushy job". www.theweekendleader.com. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  23. ^ Khan, Shazma (18 July 2017). "The man who quits Google to sell samosas". Brecorder. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  24. ^ "Up close and Personal Munaf Kapadia: The Bohri Kitchen Story". The Shillong Times. 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  25. ^ Kapadia, Munaf (10 April 2021). HOW I QUIT GOOGLE TO SELL SAMOSAS: Adventures With The Bohri Kitchen. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-93-5422-258-0.
  26. ^ "Munaf Kapadia: From selling ads at Google to selling samosas at The Bohri Kitchen". The Week. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Bookrack for the week (April 11 to April 17)". Deccan Herald. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  28. ^ Halpern, Ashlea (19 May 2015). "The Urbanist's Mumbai: Where to Eat". NYMag.com. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  29. ^ Kohli, Diya (26 May 2019). "A 'mohalla' of yesterday and tomorrow". mint. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  30. ^ Ghosh, Bobby. "The Hottest Ticket in London Is Asma Khan's Biryani Supper Club". BloombergQuint. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  31. ^ "Maharashtra govt plans Bohri Kitchen model to lure tourists". The Times of India. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  32. ^ IANS (12 December 2017). "'Grilled' winner gets Rs 1.5 cr investment for food start-up". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  33. ^ "3 Indian food entrepreneurs on how to set up a successful business". Vogue India. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  34. ^ "India's homechefs are cooking up a storm". Condé Nast Traveller India. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  35. ^ "India's Indigenous Cuisines Are Finding Their Way Out Of Local Kitchens Thanks To New-Age Food Gurus | Verve Magazine". www.vervemagazine.in. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  36. ^ Service, Tribune News. "Achievers reveal mantra to realise life goals". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
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