Home chefs project trains over 8,000 entrepreneurs across Pakistan

LAHORE: More than 8,000 aspiring and established home chefs across Pakistan have received culinary, financial and digital business training through a two-year initiative designed to turn cooking skills into sustainable sources of income, with women accounting for nearly 7,200 participants.

Implemented by CARE Pakistan with funding from The Coca-Cola Foundation, the project aimed to help home-based food entrepreneurs develop the practical skills needed to launch, manage and expand their businesses in an increasingly digital marketplace.

Beyond teaching participants how to prepare food, the initiative focused on the business knowledge required to turn a passion for cooking into a viable livelihood. Training covered financial management, business planning, digital marketing, e-commerce and customer engagement, equipping participants with tools to reach customers, manage expenses and build stronger businesses.

The programme reached participants in eight cities: Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, Karachi, Sialkot and Islamabad. Its broad geographical reach provided opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs in different urban markets to strengthen their culinary skills and explore income-generating opportunities from home.

For many women, home-based food businesses can offer a way to earn money while managing household responsibilities. However, transforming cooking skills into a reliable source of income often requires more than preparing quality meals. Entrepreneurs must also understand pricing, budgeting, customer service, promotion and the use of online platforms to attract and retain customers.

The project sought to address these challenges by combining culinary instruction with practical business and digital skills. Participants were introduced to financial management and business planning to help them make informed decisions, while digital marketing and e-commerce training offered ways to promote their products and connect with a wider customer base.

Customer engagement was another key area, reflecting the importance of building trust, maintaining service standards and encouraging repeat business in a competitive food market.

With nearly 7,200 women among the more than 8,000 participants, the initiative placed a strong emphasis on expanding women’s access to entrepreneurship and economic opportunities. Home-based food ventures can provide a starting point for people who want to establish businesses without immediately investing in commercial premises.

The project’s completion was marked by a ceremony in Lahore held on International Chefs Day, celebrating the initiative’s focus on culinary skills and entrepreneurship. The occasion highlighted the potential of food-based businesses to support livelihoods when practical training is combined with financial and digital knowledge.

Pakistan’s growing reliance on online platforms for product promotion and customer interaction has created new opportunities for small businesses, including home chefs. Social media and e-commerce can help entrepreneurs showcase menus, communicate with customers and expand beyond their immediate neighbourhoods, although long-term success also depends on product quality, reliable service and effective business management.

By training thousands of participants across eight cities, the initiative sought to help home chefs move beyond informal cooking activities towards more organised and sustainable enterprises.

The completion of the two-year project marks a step towards strengthening small-scale entrepreneurship, particularly among women, by connecting culinary talent with the business skills needed to turn that talent into a potential source of lasting income.