Aneesa Waheed

Chef Aneesa Waheed

From a 6 year old selling jars of pickles in Bombay, India to owner of Tara Kitchen in Schenectady, New York Aneesa Waheed is an inspirational entrepreneur. Emigrating to the US with her family at age 17, Aneesa left Schenectady to learn the fast-paced corporate culture in New York City. After 10 successful years in publishing and printing Aneesa came to two conclusions. The first, that her calling in life was not to work at a desk job. Second, the only way to guarantee she would not work on infamous Mondays was to become her own boss. Thus leading Aneesa to make the remarkable decision to leave the big city and move back to Schenectady.

Before moving, Aneesa took a trip to Morocco to marry her husband Muntasim Shoaib who is originally from Pakistan. Falling in love with the country and her husband, Aneesa applied her passion to opening an import shop in Schenectady selling products imported from India, Morocco, and Pakistan. At the same time as the import shop was established the Schenectady Greenmarket opened. Aneesa took this opportunity to grow with Schenectady and in 2009 she had become a self-taught food street vendor. For 3 years the couple sold Moroccan food at the Greenmarket. Different, new, and delicious the people of Schenectady cannot get enough of Aneesa’s cooking. The response and support from the community is phenomenal and thus in January 2012, Tara Kitchen opened its first location in downtown Schenectady. 5 years and 2 children later, Zoya and Suha, Aneesa’s success drove her to open a second restaurant location in Troy NY, a third in Guilderland NY, a fourth in Wildwood NJ and a fifth location opening fall of 2022 in New York City!

Aneesa Waheed keeps to her personal mantra “do what needs to be done, put mind over what matter is.” Awarded best restaurant by Capital Region Living, named 40 Under 40, and voted #5 in New York’s Top Rate Restaurants; Aneesa and her restaurant Tara Kitchen have become a local staple. Today Aneesa oversees the management of her restaurants, produces and distributes an award winning line of Moroccan Cooking Sauces, and is finalizing the opening of her new Moroccan themed spa, Tara Hammam. You can find Aneesa’s line of sauces in over 300 local grocery stores including Whole Foods, Niskayuna Food Co-Op, Price Chopper, and online at Amazon. Follow Aneesa Waheed on Facebook and YouTube to watch her TedX Talk, Beat Bobby Flay, and cook her 1,2,3 Meals. Walk into Tara Kitchen Tuesday through Sunday to meet Chef Aneesa Waheed herself and treat yourself to a mouthwatering Moroccan meal, no reservations needed!