This archive report was first published on 4 January 2022.
Billionaire's Daughters Make Their Mark in Nairobi's Food Scene ¶
Published on January 4, 2022
Adil Popat, a renowned businessman, has two daughters who are making a mark in Nairobi's food scene. Alyana and Alyssa Popat are part of the Simba Corp family empire, a conglomerate with roots in auto sales, hospitality, financial services, and real estate.
The sisters are the founders of Nairobi Street Kitchen, a luxurious joint in the Westlands area of Nairobi County. The construction of the state-of-the-art facility took four years, working in collaboration with Studio EM. The designers took inspiration from all over the world, making sense of the bustling environment created and adorned by gorgeous murals and artworks.
The sisters contracted local artists to do the artistic works on the street kitchen, with inspiration also coming from the local boys' band, Sauti Sol. The concept on offer at Nairobi Street Kitchen includes Mexican culture, offering exquisite outdoor experiences.
"We didn’t exactly tiptoe into the East African market, rather, we jumped in and landed with a thud, thanks to the support from a really ambitious client," stated founder and creative director of Studio EM, Emma Stinson.
The joint is characterized by a lot of hype and other fun activities, employing workers between the ages of 18 and 32 years old. They also offer a training program, where staff can learn skills from pulling pasta to smoking meat to making kombucha and understand various concepts.
Opening up about the challenges the kitchen encounters in the male-dominated field, the sisters noted that some government regulations have been hurting their business, which is currently booming.
"Starting a business is always a challenge. We wanted this place to be completely different from Kempinski. We wanted to make NSK more accessible and friendlier in terms of pricing. That was new territory and we wanted to accept the challenge and make it our passion," the sisters stated.
Its unique nature has continued to dominate the city, attracting top celebrities and political figures, including President Uhuru Kenyatta.
