Young Reporter Caféja: the new coffee shop hotspot! Marjan Azimi

So, what prompted a Bangladeshi daughter and father duo to bring a bit of Desi to Stanmore?

We interviewed Jaariyah Chowdhury on behalf of herself and her father, Salim Chowdhury.

‘My dad has always had an interest in opening up a café and I have always had an interest in running one, so when he saw this place was up for sale, he saw this to be the perfect opportunity to bring my dream to life. Especially since this place is in Stanmore, having also lived in South Harrow, I wanted the restaurant to be located somewhere peaceful and calm. My dad also owns a restaurant about ten minutes away so he knew the area quite well and when the opportunity presented itself, we couldn’t say no.’

Caféja officially cut the red ribbon and opened its doors on 13th of December 2023 and they really have not looked back.

‘What was the first day like? Were you nervous about attracting customers in and their first impressions?’

‘I definitely was. I remember I was meant to be awake at six in the morning, but I was actually awake from three-thirty because there was so much running through my mind. On the first day there was so much to adjust to, it was our first shot at something like this.’

‘What is this place all about? What do you want customers to feel when they enter?’

‘We wanted to create an intimate space, especially with the music and calming ambience, where customers can enjoy their food, whether it’s sweet or savoury, hot or cold. I think being able to change the mood with a little music or flavours is key.’

‘What makes this coffee shop different to its competitors? I mean, you’re right across from Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero, Oak Café - some big brands, a smaller business too. What makes Caféja more attractive?’

‘With big chains, walking in, it doesn’t feel quite so personal. Here, we don’t cut back on quality, they don’t have a chef who makes fresh food on demand like us.

With smaller coffee shops, we have a Desi section which is what gives us a bit of a unique selling point. We even have a desi breakfast, for example, so if anyone is feeling something a bit different it’s worth checking us out.’

‘What are you hoping for this business to achieve in the next few years?’

‘A place locals know and love coming to. To be known as a good café where people feel comfortable.’

The small business has already taken steps towards doing their part for the environment with straws, cake boxes, tin foil, paper bags - nearly all their packaging – being recyclable. They also offer a range of milks (soya, almond, coconut, oat) to promote inclusivity whilst also trying their best to cater to food intolerances, vegan diets, vegetarians, gluten-free – they are always happy to substitute where they can.

‘Do you have any memorable moments from working here so far? Anything that really stuck out?’

‘My job is made of all these little moments.

One lady comes in often with a young girl, around three, another lady who works for Spotify, we have some interesting conversations, it’s just so nice to speak to them.

In the first week, two customers came in with a card and orchid flower and I just saw one of them again after six weeks. I was really hoping I’d see them again so I could say thank you properly, that was honestly so sweet of them.

In the beginning, we didn’t have sweeteners on the table and this woman came in and gave us a box of sweeteners, saying it’d be good if you had some, so she bought them for us and from then on, we started buying sweeteners and keeping them on the tables.

Yeah, so it’s little things like that where we can see how supportive our local community is that makes all this worth it.’