Jeannette is joined by Resh Sonchhatla, whose remarkable business career began in accountancy and management, as well as the founding of The Chapati Club.
Resh joins Jeannette to talk about her illustrious career so far, as well as what has driven her to not just thrive in the business world, but stake her unique claim in a sector built on her personal passions.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Building a career for yourself on the things you're passionate about, always ensures that the fire in your belly stays hot enough to push you through the challenges you face.
- Working int he corporate sector can be rewarding, but it can also take its toll on mental health. Always make sure you put yourself and your wellbeing first.
- Expectations of others can often derail the true passions that light us up. Remember that your life is your own, and your path will be completely dissimilar to anyone else's - and that's okay!
- In business, you always need to be looking towards the next step. If you aren't scaling, then you're in trouble. Growth is everything.
BEST MOMENTS
'The food thing was really nibbling at me'
'I really wanted to understand the variations of how Indian food is made'
'You have to stop thinking about the things that are absorbing you so much'
'If you aren't scaling then you're in trouble'
This is the perfect time to get focused on what YOU want to really achieve in your business, career, and life. It’s never too late to be BRAVE and BOLD and unlock your inner BRILLIANCE. If you’d like to jump on a free mentoring session just DM Jeannette at [email protected] or sign up via Jeannette’s linktree https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Brave, Bold, Brilliant podcast series - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brave-bold-brilliant-podcast/id1524278970
Resh Sonchhatla LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/resh-sonchhatla-3b668610
The Chapati Club - https://www.chapaticlub.co.uk/about
ABOUT THE GUEST
Resh Sonchhatla and Heena Varambia are the couple behind chapati club, the cult west London Indian restaurant which celebrated its fourth birthday in April 2021. The business recently expanded into south London, with the launch of a delivery service based in
Bermondsey.
A couple for eleven years, neither Resh nor Heena had experience of running a restaurant when they took the lease on the site at 117 The Vale, in Acton, London W3. Resh had been working in the banking sector for seven years, which she found unfulfilling, while Heena was enjoying a successful career as an experience designer. Planning to start a family, they also wanted to bring more balance to their working lives.
Both women shared a lifelong passion for food, instilled in them from childhood by their large families, and having grown up in nearby Hounslow, Heena was a fan of the diverse, creative Acton area. The embryonic idea of opening a “non-traditional” restaurant serving “the food we grew up on” quickly became a reality when an ideal site became available; they put an offer in, which was accepted, and opened chapati club on 7th April 2017.For the menu, Resh and Heena looked to favourite recipes from their shared Indian-Kenyan heritage, including many handed down by their families. ‘Chicken G Dad’s Way’, for example, is Heena’s dad’s recipe, a dish so popular within her family that any time it’s made it leads to a large impromptu gathering. The ‘61’ in ‘Chicken 61’ meanwhile refers to Resh’s aunt’s house number, where she would go if she wanted to eat chicken, which her vegetarian mother wouldn’t cook.
Heena created chapati club’s modern, pared-back branding and visual identity, and oversees the creative side of the business, while Resh is responsible for the day-to-day running of the restaurant and is a familiar presence at almost every service. Both of their personalities are present in the music, another shared passion, putting together their own playlists which contribute to the restaurant’s lively, celebratory atmosphere.
As gay women of colour, Resh and Heena were initially wary of being an ‘out and proud’ LGBTQ+ business, but quickly found that this was a strength, with peers, suppliers and most importantly, customers, all embracing them. In its four years in business, chapati club has attracted a loyal, diverse clientele of regular ‘clubbers’ who value the inclusivity of the restaurant, whether they are dining with family, friends or indeed alone.
Resh and Heena strive to repay their community’s support by giving back to it where they can. Throughout lockdown, chapati club provided free meals for NHS frontline staff, and they have hosted fundraising and community events, including music and comedy nights, at the restaurant. They champion other local businesses, serving wines chosen for the restaurant by Vindinista, Acton’s boutique wine shop, and gelato from Duci in Chiswick.
While the business has grown with the expansion into south London, chapati club remains a very personal project for Resh and Heena. They are committed to offering an honest, consistent experience to all their customers, whether they are eating in the restaurant or at home. “Somehow,” they say, “we have attracted the most wonderful humans in west London, and we feel very lucky for that.”
Resh and Heena live in Windsor with their two children, a girl and a boy.
For interview requests please contact Hugh Richard Wright: [email protected]
chapati club, 117 The Vale, London W3 7RQ
ABOUT THE HOST
Jeannette Linfoot is a highly regarded senior executive, property investor, board advisor, and business mentor with over 25 years of global professional business experience across the travel, leisure, hospitality, and property sectors. Having bought, ran, and sold businesses all over the world, Jeannette now has a portfolio of her own businesses and also advises and mentors other business leaders to drive forward their strategies as well as their own personal development.
Jeannette is a down-to-earth leader, a passionate champion for diversity & inclusion, and a huge advocate of nurturing talent so every person can unleash their full potential and live their dreams.
CONTACT THE HOST
Jeannette’s linktree - https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot
https://www.jeannettelinfootassociates.com/
YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtsU57ZGoPhm55_X0qF16_Q
LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeannettelinfoot
Facebook - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeannettelinfoot
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jeannette.linfoot/
Email - [email protected]
Podcast Description
Jeannette Linfoot talks to incredible people about their experiences of being Brave, Bold & Brilliant, which have allowed them to unleash their full potential in business, their careers, and life in general. From the boardroom tables of ‘big’ international businesses to the dining room tables of entrepreneurial start-ups, how to overcome challenges, embrace opportunities and take risks, whilst staying ‘true’ to yourself is the order of the day.
Travel, Bold, Brilliant, business, growth, scale, marketing, investment, investing, entrepreneurship, coach, consultant, mindset, six figures, seven figures, travel, industry, ROI, B2B, inspirational: https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot
