Her Story
About Raniya
My passion for food started in childhood, growing up in a Middle Eastern family where cooking was a way of life. My mom made traditional Chaldean dishes while my dad explored French, Italian, and American cuisine, and both sets of grandparents turned every meal into a feast. I started cooking at 8 years old, beginning with eggs, and by age 12, my grandfather insisted I be the only one to cook his liver and onions. I've been running my catering business since my early 20s, over 30 years now, and the passion has never died. I also spent 32 years as a licensed nail technician with my own salons, and that's actually how my catering took off - clients would come in for their appointments, try my food, and ask me to cater their events. I love creating themed menus and believe everything should be cohesive rather than mixing cuisines randomly. About 15-16 years into catering, I started insisting on blending flavors together rather than doing 'a little bit of this, a little bit of that,' and my clients loved the results. Today, I run a small cafe in an office building where I create wraps, sandwiches, and new sauces, and I continue to do full catering for events. I'm a mother of three successful adult children who watched me balance multiple businesses, and I believe that staying busy and doing what you love is the key to fulfillment. When I'm in the kitchen catering, I know nothing else - I'm completely focused on executing my menu and setting up experiences that transport people, like the Vegas-themed Italian bachelorette party where guests said they felt like they were in Italy.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Raniya
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to putting my heart and soul into my passion and never stopping. Growing up, my teachers told me I could be an attorney or a doctor because I was a straight-A student, but I'm glad I went for what I truly enjoy instead. There's that saying - when you enjoy what you do, you never work a day in your life - and that's how I feel. I think staying busy actually helps me emotionally. The busier I am, the less emotional I get, and busy feels better to me. My kids watched me balance multiple businesses while raising them, and I think that influenced them to stay focused and do what they love. You have to be confident in yourself, especially when you're creating food for people. It's not just putting a ham and cheese sandwich together - we're creating something - so you have to believe in yourself and be positive. I barely get 5 or 6 hours of sleep a day, and it works for me. The feedback I get from clients, like when someone said they felt like they were in Italy at an event I catered, makes me want to keep going. That excitement, that passion - it doesn't die.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If it's a passion, you've got to put your heart and soul in it. It's gotta be something you love, and you can't rush it - you gotta be patient. You should never stop your passion and keep going, because there will be times when you think maybe you should stop or take the easy route, but you have to go for what you enjoy. I've talked to so many different people who cook because they have to, not because they want to, and that's the difference. When I'm in the kitchen, when I'm catering, I know nothing else - I only know what's on my menu that I have to execute. You have to be confident in what you're making. We're talking about feeding people, we're not just putting a ham and cheese sandwich together - we're creating something. So you have to believe in yourself and be positive and secure in knowing that what you're making is good. Just go for it. Don't take the easy path - go for the hard, go for what you truly enjoy, because when you enjoy what you do, you never work a day in your life.
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