Meet HAFSA MUSTAFA | Pharmacist, recipe developer

We had the good fortune of connecting with HAFSA MUSTAFA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi HAFSA, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

My instagram blog is more about sharing recipes with my followers than a business at the moment, however, I am open to perhaps introducing a business aspect to it at some point in the future. It’s great because I have always loved cooking. It’s as simple as that. Mixing ingredients that compliment each other to produce a dish that brings a smile to everyone’s face, is what I strive to achieve.

Just doing that over and over again inspired me to create my Instagram page. I shared my recipes with the world where I showed them how to make delicious food in whatever they had in their pantry.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

Like most home cooks, I cook for my family and I cook with love. Watching my children eat my food and thrive every day is a huge factor that encourages me to come up with new recipes regularly. I cook 3 times a day, 5 times a week. It’s grueling with keeping up with everyday happenings, looking after the kids and cooking on top of all that but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’ve also learnt so much during my journey. I’ve learnt that you’ll have setbacks, like extreme nausea during pregnancy where I couldn’t even look at food let alone blog about it! I’ve learnt that I have a knack for just looking at a picture and being able to recreate it with my own touch. It’s taken a lot of practice but I’ve gotten this far.

I’d also like to encourage other home cooks out there. Share your talent with the world! We can learn so much from one another.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I mean if my friend was coming to Houston then you know it’s going to be all about food, food and food. Houston one of the best food scenes in the country. The halal options alone are unparalleled here.

I’d take them out to eat breakfast at HS Green menu, Chicken tikka from Bundu Khan’s, grab a plate of gyro from Gyro king, eat some of the best burgers from M&M burger, and finish it off with a triple chocolate and berry crepe from Busy Boys new dessert bar. And this is all just in one day! The options in Houston are like no other.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

I’m so glad you asked this! I feel like not enough credit is given to those silent people in one’s journey of success!

My family has always pushed me to pursue things. It’s my mother’s recipes that I learnt from to get this far. She has always been patient in teaching me her ways and always had an encouraging word when I mess up.

My father and brother get extra credit here too. They always ate all my experiments, even to this day. If I screwed up or aced something, they’d eat it with a smile on their faces and encourage me to keep trying and improve myself.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/htm_cooks/

Image Credits
@htm_cooks