This is Zeeshan Ali, the co-owner of Pangea Caterers. He’s been in the food industry for most of his life but only recently purchased his first food business with his brother, Shadman Saeed. He grew up working in his father’s restaurant, Kabab King, which his father opened after immigrating here from Pakistan in 1993 and realizing that there was a huge Desi (Indian/Pakistani) community in New York that wanted halal food but had nowhere to buy it. Although Zeeshan worked in the industry for years, he was never set on making it a career until he got the chance to purchase Pangea Caterers. Zee is committed to doing everything possible to make sure that his business is a success and that he can use his expertise to improve previous standards and redefine halal food service.
Zeeshan began working at his father’s restaurant when he was 13 years old, He worked for his father until he was 20 years old and then decided to branch out on his own and pursue other interests. He tried going down a few different paths, but nothing seemed to be a good fit and it was important to him that he enjoyed the work that he was doing. Then one day he received an offer to take over a family friend’s catering business, Pangea Caterers. The owner had decided to leave the restaurant industry and approached Zeeshan and his brother because he believed that they had the skills to take the business to the next level. Zeeshan says that it wasn’t a hard decision because this gave him the opportunity to work at something that he already had experience in and that he had a passion for. He and his brother purchased the business and have been running it for the past two years.
Zee and his Brother Shadman believes that this generation of consumers is interested in trying something new, specifically in the halal community, and he wants to be the solution for them. He wants to change the perception of halal food, creating a need for a cuisine that he doesn’t believe exists yet, high-end halal dining. And he’s focused on making it a reality. “In order for me to understand this industry, I need to have those skills. If I can’t do it, how am I going to explain it to anybody else?” As is it, he says he only sleeps about 3 or 4 hours a night, but he enjoys having a lot on his plate and thinks that free time is a waste.
Zee says that since taking over Pangea Caterers his mind has shifted on how he should be doing business and he’s taking the necessary steps to create a new concept in halal food service focused on bringing cuisine that many young Muslims have not been able to try due to dietary restrictions and making it halal so that they can try it. He knows that it will be tough, since older generations of halal restaurant owners focus on providing the food that they know, but he’s up to the challenge. Zee has come a long way and he still has plenty of room to grow!