Episode 252 | Shira Mohammed

Send us Fan MailFrom Milan to Arena, from Synergy Soca Star to the founding of Trinidad & Tobago Restaurant Week — Shira Mohammed’s story is one of grit, creativity, and culture. In this episode, we trace her unlikely journey from a love child in Italy to becoming the driving force behind one of the country’s biggest culinary festivals. Shira opens up about the hustle behind Restaurant Week, the parallels with Carnival, the challenges of sponsorship, and her vision to brand Trinidad & Tobago as the culinary capital of the Caribbean. Along the way, we also revisit Synergy Soca Star, Fireball’s breakthrough, the rise of influencers in food culture, and her deep personal journey balancing heritage, culture shock, and passion0:00 Intro & Restaurant Week origins7:40 Dates & growth over 13 years13:40 Why September: slow season strategy20:00 Branding T&T as culinary capital26:00 Street food, COVID pivot & takeaway model33:00 Influencers, bloggers & restaurant marketing39:30 Growing up in Italy & moving to Trinidad51:00 Arena village culture shock1:01:00 Lakshmi Girls & finding identity1:11:00 Early jobs & discovering marketing1:18:00 Synergy Soca Star & Fireball breakthrough1:28:00 Corporate events → Restaurant Week vision1:39:00 The future of Restaurant Week