Why the name Desperados? A desperado is a person who decides what they want to do with their lives. This is a young person who is not afraid to chart their own course. Think of the mantra ‘work hard, play hard’. Think of people in their mid and upper 20’s. Most of my friends fall in this age group. This drink is targeting this particular niche market. Get it from the horse’s mouth, I am almost 25 and I can tell you for a fact that we do work hard. This is the time when people get a glimpse of what they want to do and who they want to be. We might pass as people who live our lives with reckless abandon or people who throw caution to the wind but this is the age where we work so hard to make our dreams happen. But with the hard work comes the need to let loose and kick back.
I have always thought that having a successful food event in Kenya is hard. But I changed my mind. I now believe that if you have a fresh idea, it will work.
Here is the Q&A.
Tell me about Pop-Up Nairobi
Pop-Up Nairobi began as a monthly brunch event a few months ago. People come to a set location and they enjoy Sunday Brunch at a cost of Kshs 1,000 only. We cook great food and serve great drinks with a smile. It has since expanded to include other events as people ask me ‘Can you..’ and I think ‘Sure, why not?’
When and how did it begin?
I love cooking and I love entertaining, but I really miss a nice relaxed Sunday brunch. I realized that most cafes are closed on Sunday, so I got the idea to ask people to let me use their cafes. The first café I requested was Café Rouge in Kilimani, where I had been regularly enjoying their delicious ndengu na chapo. The owner agreed and I had my first event. I had marketed the event myself through social media, mainly Facebook and was overwhelmed (in the best possible way) at the 100 guests that came to enjoy a new brunch event. Proceeds go to charity as it was just a hobby with my friends volunteering as staff and I want to give something back to this amazing country. I volunteer tutoring Math at Kibera with ROCK an organization that offers tutoring and scholarships to students so it made sense to raise money for scholarships. I’m passionate about education and now each event supports a new education focused cause.
What prompted you to set up shop in Nairobi?
It started as a hobby when I realized that in Nairobi Sunday brunch does not happen in many establishments. Sunday brunch is a big thing in some parts of the world and I wanted to introduce this idea here.
How did you do it and how much money did you earn at first?
I started buying food on Thursday and I did some preparations. On Saturday I make the chutneys and relishes. By the first event, I had retrieved all my capital outlay and I had profits of 70,000kshs. This money would sponsor at least one child and I plan to do it over and over again. After that, I get many people coming to my events. I’ve spent $2.66 USD on Facebook ads, but other than that it has all been through my social media pages and word of mouth.
Who is the brains behind it and how many employees do you have?
Currently I am doing it all; menu’s, marketing, deciding on causes, and planning the events. I now have five wonderful part-time staff that work at the events with me. Four of them are recent graduates from Kito International which runs a 2 month soft skills course in Kawangware.
The third edition of the Marie Pierre Wine Club took place in Aero Club on 2nd August 2014. Aero club is in Wilson Airport. There was so much traffic and we got there at a few minutes past three. It seems that we were not the only ones caught up in the gridlock because guests started trickling in at half past. My photographer proceeded to take shots of the wine displays, and after exchanging pleasantries with the people in attendance, I got down to business. I needed to know more about Aero Club and the waiter was kind enough to call me the assistant manager, Stella Mwihaki. Stella briefed me about this members club and she took me round the place so that I could see for myself.
This was an ideal venue for a winetasting experience because it was serene. The winetasting experience took place on one side of Aero club. On the other side, families relaxed unperturbed by our winetasting event. It was great to see and hear private planes take off in the background…