#FoundersFridays: Meet Aaliyah Bochhah

#FoundersFridays is an interview series about Amsterdam’s wellbeing economy: for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. Each frontrunner answers questions on their entrepreneurial journey, insights, milestones, and bottlenecks, as well as on Amsterdam’s and the Dutch impact and innovation ecosystem. It’s a platform for entrepreneurs to speak their minds freely and pass on their learnings to anyone considering founding an enterprise.

This #FoundersFridays interview is with Aaliyah Bochhah, the founder of Mama's Koelkast, a catering learning company with its own cookbook, store, and plans for TV, social media, and YouTube videos. “But the common thread remains to educate women who are already incredible chefs, so we can guide them towards becoming independent food entrepreneurs,” says Aaliyah Bochhah (43), founder of Mama’s Koelkast and CEO of Mama’s Power Foundation.

Why did you start Mama's Koelkast?

I was trained as an educationalist and worked for the Jeugdjournaal for six years, creating news items for kids. After leaving the Jeugdjournaal, I stayed on with the broadcaster. Then my mother got sick. Her illness made me see life differently. I no longer wanted the stress and deadlines of working for TV. It wasn't a conscious choice, it happened very organically. I wanted to be close to my mother when she was sick. For the last nine months of her life, I took care of her.

What made you decide to start Mama's Koelkast after this experience?

After she passed away, I reexamined my life and started asking questions. What should I do now? Which direction should I take? What suits me? It all felt different. In those last months with my mother, we talked about my life and work. After her death, I found myself holding on to the containers with leftovers from the freezer she left. My mom was a very passionate chef. That's the moment Mama’s Koelkast was born. The concept is simple. One fridge, one mother cooking. These women know how to cook, we teach them the skills they need to run a business. This wasn't a decision. It just happened. Sometimes you don't decide, sometimes you do.

The very first idea of Mama’s Koelkast came about in 2012. Can you tell us about the different phases Mama’s Koelkast has gone through in the meantime?

One mother, one fridge, became five mothers, five fridges in just a few months. We immediately got attention from the public. The sign wasn't even up yet and the concept was already embraced by the neighborhood and far beyond. The idea is simple, but it carries a lot of impact. People have to say it out loud: Mama’s Koelkast. It evokes emotion immediately: a feeling of home, warmth, and coziness. People cannot help but smile. Food from all these different cuisines in one store, you have to remember that this was unique twelve years ago, and still is.

From there, we started doing a lot of catering jobs. After a few years, we moved the company from Utrecht to a large industrial kitchen in the Houthavens in Amsterdam. We started running the canteen of a large company, cooking for sixty people every day, plus various catering jobs, events, and cooking workshops. We had so many mothers under our wings, it was incredible. And then COVID happened. Everything came to a halt.

There was nothing left to do. It was the very first time I had to ask the municipality for money. It was devastating, you enter the world of subsidies, and suddenly everything needs a label. Why do you do what you do? Why these women? What's wrong with them? I wasn't used to that. I knew that what I was doing benefited the society as a whole, but in what way? All of a sudden I had to explain its relevance, its societal context. I wasn’t used to that. I didn't see myself as a social entrepreneur or as someone helping these women. These women were incredible chefs who wanted to do something for themselves, I just facilitated the rest.

How did you get through this, and what did you learn from this period?

I learned there is a middle way, a way between just commerce and just social importance. I had to find that balance. In a way, COVID made us look at our whereabouts and forced us to leave our dark kitchen in the Amsterdam Houthavens and open a store in the heart of the city, in the Jordaan area. We made a conscious choice to become more visible and it saved us. Mama's Koelkast got picked up by the media and I had all these opportunities to tell our story in newspapers and magazines.

You started the company in Utrecht. Why make the move to Amsterdam?

I lived in Utrecht for a long time but wanted to return to Amsterdam. When a big catering job came up, I took this as an opportunity to take the step and move Mama’s Koelkast to Amsterdam. I wanted to be here. I've always dreamed of opening a flagship store here. Multiculturalism is at the foundation of this city. People here are open to other cultures, and cuisines. We're right in the hustle and bustle, in the Jordaan. Mama's Koelkast is for everyone and you can tell by the range of people who visit the Mama's Koelkast store. Our customers are old and young, rich and poor, locals and tourists. 

What has been a recent win for Mama’s Koelkast?

The store turned one year old on May 14th, Mother's Day. We've achieved so much over the last twelve years. 

What has been a recent challenge?

Every day is a challenge! Right now for me, the challenge is to let go. I have to let others do the things I don't have time for. We're growing, and sometimes I cancel important meetings or events because I am busy doing the basic tasks: operational things or logistics. I need to let others take the wheel. Another challenge is the problems these women face themselves. We work with women who have been through a lot. How do those who have real issues? I want to help, but I cannot be there for everyone. Some problems are too big. It made me think, that perhaps we need someone who can guide these women on a personal level in our Mama’s Koelkast team.

What is the goal of Mama’s Koelkast for the coming months?

I want Mama’s Koelkast to be visible. We're working on a TV format and a podcast right now. After twelve years I will be in front of a camera again. There are too few female food entrepreneurs in the media landscape right now. Apart from that, we want to open more stores. A Mama’s Koelkast in Utrecht, in The Hague and Rotterdam. 

What is the best (career) advice you have ever received?

I didn't receive any good career advice. I scored very low on my CITO test [red: a test children take at the end of primary school]. It made me feel stupid, even though I knew, deep down that I was smart. I could have given up, but I took my bike, rode to the best school in Hilversum, where I lived, and took an entrance exam. I passed and got accepted. I listened to my feelings and took action immediately. Even if you receive poor advice, don't let it influence your decisions. That's my advice.

What do you need in the future to make even more impact?

Money! Haha. But really. We're working on a project where companies can sponsor a fridge. This means we can support one mother throughout the process: the education trajectory and training in store, up to starting her own business. Apart from finance, we need our story to be shared. Telling your friends, coworkers, and family helps us support these women and make them shine.

If you’re an Amsterdam-based founder working on an innovative solution that solves an urban or social challenge, and you’d like to share your story with our audience, email impact@amsterdam.nl