Current:Home > FinanceWomen's rights activist built a cookware empire that pays tribute to her culture-InfoLens
Women's rights activist built a cookware empire that pays tribute to her culture
View Date:2024-12-23 16:11:25
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Shiza Shahid said her mother never taught her to cook.
"She wanted to make sure that my sister and I were free to pursue our dreams in a way that she had never been," Shahid told CBS News.
Shahid said she met Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai when Yousafzai was 11 years old, about six years before Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban in 2012 for advocating for women's rights.
In 2013, Shahid said she left her job and helped Yousafzai co-found the nonprofit Malala Fund.
"I was 22 years old," Shahid said. "But in that moment, I knew that it was now or never."
Later, Shahid co-founded the cookware brand Our Place.
"In Pakistan, so much of our life and our culture revolves around cooking in the home and breaking bread together," Shahid said. "We literally found 'Our Place' in America by cooking and sharing food."
Shahid said the Our Place team is made up "predominantly" of "women and immigrants."
"We wanted to build a brand that celebrated Eid and Ramadan and Nowruz as loudly as we celebrated Christmas and Easter and New Year's," Shahid said.
Shahid said her mother has taken great pride in watching her create a business that celebrates her heritage and culture.
"For her to see her daughter building a business where the kitchen and the home was a pathway to liberation was really special," Shahid said.
- In:
- Pakistan
veryGood! (3)
Related
- See Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's Winning NFL Outing With Kids Zuma and Apollo
- This Week in Clean Economy: Dueling Solyndra Ads Foreshadow Energy-Centric Campaign
- Teen Mom's Maci Bookout Celebrates Son Bentley's Middle School Graduation
- U.S. Medical Groups Warn Candidates: Climate Change Is a ‘Health Emergency’
- Beyoncé course coming to Yale University to examine her legacy
- Save 80% On Kate Spade Crossbody Bags: Shop These Under $100 Picks Before They Sell Out
- What's driving the battery fires with e-bikes and scooters?
- The potentially deadly Candida auris fungus is spreading quickly in the U.S.
- Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Veterans Day? Here's what to know
- Global Warming Pushes Microbes into Damaging Climate Feedback Loops
Ranking
- Queen Bey and Yale: The Ivy League university is set to offer a course on Beyoncé and her legacy
- Shoppers Love These Exercise Dresses for Working Out and Hanging Out: Lululemon, Amazon, Halara, and More
- WHO calls on China to share data on raccoon dog link to pandemic. Here's what we know
- Climate Change Fingerprints Were All Over Europe’s Latest Heat Wave, Study Finds
- 24 more monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina lab are recovered unharmed
- Remember the Titans Actor Ethan Suplee Reflects on 250-Pound Weight Loss Journey
- As Trump Touts Ethanol, Scientists Question the Fuel’s Climate Claims
- New documentary shines light on impact of guaranteed income programs
Recommendation
-
Burger King's 'Million Dollar Whopper' finalists: How to try and vote on your favorite
-
This Week in Clean Economy: U.S. Electric Carmakers Get the Solyndra Treatment
-
Kobe Bryant’s Daughter Natalia Bryant Gets in Formation While Interning for Beyoncé
-
Teen Mom's Catelynn Lowell Celebrates Carly's 14th Birthday With Sweet Tribute
-
Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia Explains Why She’s Not Removing Tattoo of Ex Zach Bryan’s Lyrics
-
Volunteer pilots fly patients seeking abortions to states where it's legal
-
Jamie Lynn Spears Shares Big Update About Zoey 102: Release Date, Cast and More
-
Mexico's leader denies his country's role in fentanyl crisis. Republicans are furious