Ryerson alumna named to Forbes’ 2021 30 Under 30 list

Ryerson alumna Zahra Khan (external link)  (Biology ’13), founder of Feya (external link)  and DYCE (external link)  cafes in London, U.K., has been named to the Forbes 2021 Top 30 under 30 Honorees list (external link) , making her one of the top emerging entrepreneurs and game changers in Europe's retail and ecommerce category. 

Now a London sensation, Khan’s baking career launched from a much more humble place: her Ryerson residence. “I had been baking since I was eight years old, and it was something that I was really passionate about, but I never took it seriously as a career path for myself,” she says. “While I was studying at Ryerson, I just started my own business on the side, baking wedding and celebration cakes, and the response was really great.” Some nights, Khan stayed up all night after her studies baking wedding cakes to deliver the next morning. 

After graduating from Ryerson’s biology program, Zahra moved to the U.K. to pursue her culinary diploma. She enrolled in Gordon Ramsay’s school Tante Marie Academy, becoming the first and the only Pakistani female student to attend. 

Mother, restaurateur, mentor

As Khan searched for the perfect site for her first cafe, she also became a mother for the first time, and named her cafe after her daughter. “I think of her as one of my lucky charms as well as the inspiration behind Feya,” says Khan.

Knowing the challenges of balancing motherhood and being a restaurant owner at a young age, Khan made it a priority to provide mentorship for other young women who wanted to get into the industry -- even without experience. “It wasn’t easy for me to get into this field because it's not common for women to become chefs, especially in Pakistan. Even when I went to the U.K., the hospitality industry was very male-dominated and it was really challenging for me at times,” she says. 

“I didn't understand why there were so many talented female chefs out there but I wasn’t seeing a lot of them in the kitchens. So when I opened up my cafe, this was something that I wanted to change.” Khan says she hired young mothers who had never worked in a kitchen before to build their confidence and comfort level in the hospitality industry. Khan now employs a 75 per cent female workforce across her three restaurants, and is consistently looking to hire staff from equity deserving communities.

Forbes nomination

Khan’s team submitted her nomination application to Forbes’ Top 30 under 30 list, which was shortlisted from tens of thousands of applicants. “It was a very pleasant surprise when I found out that they’d nominated me, but I honestly didn't think that I would actually make it to the list,” she says. 

Upon the receipt of the thousands of applications, Forbes looks at a variety of factors in naming the honorees, including how innovative and sustainable their businesses are, what sort of social impact it has, the scalability of revenue and even the future revenue models. “I'm really honoured, and it's motivated me even more. I want to do a lot more with the business and with the impact I could have,” she says. 

What’s ahead

The pandemic has made innovation necessary for Khan and her cafes, with the physical locations closed to in-person dining for some time to prevent the spread of the virus. She launched her retail line of chocolates, truffles, tea and hot chocolates with unique packaging designed by several female illustrators promoting self care and diversity. Khan donates 10 per cent of the profits from the retail products to charities to help other women build entrepreneurial and employability skills. 

Since launching Feya, Khan says she’s also received over 100 franchise applications, which is something she’d like to start addressing now. “I’d love to take the brand internationally. I’d also like to look into placing our retail products internationally. And at the same time, we want to expand a bit more in London, so that's going to keep us busy for the next few years.”