Today we’d like to introduce you to Sohail Feroze.
Hi Sohail, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
1998 my mother had a notion to open a restaurant with authentic south Asian cuisine with that homestyle touch (mum’s cooking) I was in the process of joining a real estate agency and being the oldest child in my family & I was obligated to helping her. It was a tough process at first not knowing what or how to do this & I did question myself WHY? After 12- 18 months of struggling & juggling all we got the restaurant to grow and I entered the catering market which was a huge demand in our south Asian community, I remember the first days of catering but remembered one thing which was how to set a table for dinner for your house guests and I decided to multiply that by times 100 and did that on a larger scale with style and decor to accompany great food. We introduced great food with that flair of ambiance, they say you eat with your eyes first!!! We opened mezban in southwest Houston 2012 and it’s been amazing as we established our name & became a leader in the south Asian community in catering setting trends & hopefully, we raised the bar.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Struggles LOL washing pots & pans
Scrubbing grills & stoves on my day off
Using my car as a delivery vehicle which became ‘stinky’
Learning was hard but interesting
No restaurant experience
Self-taught was the key to educating myself
Loved google too for inspiration
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Work I am the owner LOL
Get confused for a Chef
Being English I could be the Gordon Ramsey no 2
Born in London England
Hate cooking but love to eat
Great at management
I love to set a feast where you eat with your eyes
Love at first sight
Presentation is all along with taste & that’s love
Lucky to be tagged as a pioneer game changer in the South Asian Catering Industry
I changed the perception, and Houston is the no 1 place in USA for social / wedding catered food in the south Asian community
I set relationships for hotels & venues to allow our cuisine with its requirements (halal)
We were invited to be the First South Asian Caterer to be allowed into Hotels & Venues whom never allowed Outside Catering & this made a foundation for the rest of our small business in this market
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Learn ask
Be humble
Never give up
Stress to be a perfectionist
If you fall or stumble
It only makes you stronger
Pricing:
- Buffet starting from $15
- Lunch caterered from $12
- Wedding/social catering from $28
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mezban.biz
- Instagram: @mezbanhouston
- Facebook: @mezbanhouston
