Speaker Q&A (2020): Nisha Katona, Mowgli

Nisha Katona is the CEO, executive and development chef of Mowgli Street Food. In the five years since she founded her first restaurant in Liverpool (while still working full time as a Barrister), she’s opened nine more sites across the UK (number 11, in Bristol, is coming soon), become a familiar face on TV, written three cookbooks, featured twice on the Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 list, and been awarded a MBE for services to the Food Industry.

A popular returning speaker, she’ll be sharing more exclusive insights from her career so far in a highly-anticipated opening day Keynote interview.

Focusing specifically on food and drink trends, what products/ingredients do you think will be big (or even bigger) in 2020?

Alcohol free seltzers and obviously meat free dishes are the most popular as people are more conscious of their health. This naturally leads to the culinary eyes of the nation turning east where naturally it is a meat free, small plates grazing culture. Each dish must individually pull its own addictive punch.

Indian, Korean, Chinese Hot Pot, Vietnamese cultures major on flavour, colour and chaos. People are far keener to have a table of colour, flavour variety and a sharing way of eating. It may be we are greedier to have it all. I see this on my instagram posts too — photos of tables laden with a myriad of dishes, colours and entirely lacking in formality are the ones that inspire the most appetite.

What do you see as the key casual dining industry trends for 2020?

As above. Meat free dining and low alcohol drinks.

What’s your bestselling dish / drink at the moment?

The Yoghurt Chat Bombs and all of our beers.

What does the next 12 months have in store for your business?

We are taking Mowgli to Bristol Preston, and hopefully Leeds and Scotland.

Can you give us an example of what your business is doing to be even more sustainable?

We are now single use plastic free in our restaurants and pressuring our suppliers to follow suit. 100% of the energy used across Mowgli is renewable.

How important is the Casual Dining show to the casual dining sector?

Casual Dining brings the whole industry together and steel sharpens steel. There is nothing more invigorating and stimulating — it’s so important to keep our ideas and strategies fresh and relevant and one never stops learning from one’s peers.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry?

Focus on your product only. If it’s worthy of your addiction, is it worthy of a place in the hearts of your customers. The world does not owe you a living — do not presume that because you have a good idea that the world agrees.

What do you feel is the key for operators to successfully compete against their competitors?

Great food at a great price. It needs to be healthy and, quite frankly, addictive. The dishes need to have their own followers. The days of beguiling with brand are over.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Growing people in a working environment that is purposeful, fulfilling and nourishing.

And the most challenging?

We are not everyone’s cup of tea. My dishes taste like my grandmothers. Other Indians from other culinary regions take it most personally when my dishes do not taste like their grandmothers!

Tell us a fun fact about yourself that most people don’t know:

I like a bit of Meatloaf Karaoke.