foodpanda join hands with USAID SMEA to enhance culinary expertise of its homechefs

To further its mission of strengthening the HomeChef ecosystem in Pakistan, foodpanda collaborated with USAID SMEA (Small and Medium Enterprise Activity), to further enhance the culinary expertise and education of its HomeChefs. As part of this collaboration, an extensive three days Culinary and Kitchen Management training was organised at College of Tourism and Hotel Management (COTHM) Lahore. The training consisted of Demonstrations, Practical & Group work and covered key topics like: cooking, baking & desserts, food safety – level 1, menu planning, packaging and temperature management for food delivery, and managing food safety standards.

The session was attended by 22 foodpanda HomeChefs, of which 3 were males and 19 females. The active representation by women is a testament to foodpanda’s vision of creating economic opportunities for women and advancing them by joining hands with strategic partners like USAID SMEA & COTHM.

“This is foodpanda and USAID SMEA’s third successful collaboration. We partnered during the peak of Covid-19 to impart virtual trainings to women across Pakistan on key topics like ’Online Business Management & Marketing’ and ‘Food Handling during Covid-19 Pandemic'”, said Binte Fatima Rizvi, Head of Partnerships for HomeChefs.

“foodpanda’s aim is to increase the HomeChefs base in the next two years and take it up to 100,000 registered HomeChefs. Our partnership with USAID SMEA and COTHM is in-line with this vision and will help us accelerate our efforts, economically empowering people in Pakistan and enhancing food entrepreneurship in the country,” she added.

‘Thank you to foodpanda, USAID & COTHM for providing foodpanda Home Chefs with this excellent learning opportunity. This 3-days extensive training covered all the key topics from cooking to hygiene to running a profitable business. I can’t wait to expand my menu by adding the new dishes i learnt here and give my customers a WOW experience!’ said foodpanda Home Chef Mona Bilal, owner of Hungry Hive.

All participants of the training program were assessed and certified by COTHM. Certificates were distributed to HomeChefs at the end of training completion by Mr. Babar Sheikh, Director HRD & International Development-COTHM and Mr. Ahsan Malik, Head of Home Chefs-foodpanda.