The Black Entrepreneur's Journal - Vol 2

ENTREPRENEURIAL SPOTLIGHT

By Greg Davis

SPOTLIGHT ON: THE PASTRY NERD - NEUROSCIENCE TO PASTRY CHEF

A Note on Getting Started

Seven years ago, Said M’Dahoma, a French – Comorian found himself in Calgary with the ambition of doing post doctoral research centered around his field of neuroscience. However, being an expat in a new country and immersing in a new culture, he quickly found himself longing for an authentic taste of home in Paris, in particular baked goods. This craving served as motivation to learn more about baking. This journey started 5 years ago, and led to the launch of ‘The Pastry Nerd’, his online cooking school and blog in 2021.

The process of building and launching The Pastry Nerd, Said admits, was an interesting one; as a youth he had no interest in cooking or anything to do with the kitchen. “I was the spoiled kid who was just waiting for food to come ‘’. This meant a lot of trials and failures along the way as he had to not only grasp the intricacies of French baking, but also sought to infuse his Comorian heritage into his culinary expression. Complicating his learning even further, he also had to compensate for the differences found in core ingredients like butter, flour, and water. Said points out that at the end of the day, baking is a science and knowing how to make adjustments based on what’s available is a vital part of his success so far.

As a burgeoning entrepreneur, one of the most challenging hurdles is always in the world of finance and having access to working capital. “A lot of people had been telling me to get my company started, but I then realized that a lot of those people have a safety net”. As an expat in Canada who is the son of immigrants to France, his family had not yet been afforded the privilege of building generational wealth to back his venture. This is often lacking in the Black community, leaving many without a safety net to fall back on when obstacles are encountered. Yes, the government has launched various funding programs for Black entrepreneurs, however these are loans with stringent repayment requirements rather than grants. One of Said’s goals is to be debt free for as long as possible, even though to expand, he acknowledges that applying for some of these programs is inevitable.

“do not limit yourself to one path”. In the culinary world most young people are conditioned to think that the only path to success is to have your own restaurant. This is far from the truth and Said suggests that if you are looking to explore this career path it is important to be open to various ideas and options that can lead to success. This industry demands time and skill, so honing those skills is important; be passionate about wanting to be in the culinary industry. Once the foundation is established, seek out a range of options that will allow you to earn a living in good times and challenging times.

The Pastry Nerd is meant to support those who are where Said was 7 years ago as a cook - with an interest in learning how to bake. In doing so his work challenges those stereotypes around Black cultural cuisines which the mainstream has attempted to categorize as inferior, when compared to European or Asian cuisines. This is why he believes it is important to not only mentor our youth, but to also instill a sense of pride in the cuisine of our heritage.

As The Pastry Nerd grows, Said hopes to one day have his own French bakery to showcase foods not only from France but also that of his parents’ homeland Comoros.