Episode 31 | Seat At The Table: Inside Nishaan with Zeeshan Bakhrani

Описание: In this episode, we sit inside a tiny New York City kitchen with Zeeshan Bakhrani, founder of Nishaan, to talk about what it really costs to build something personal. Not just money or hours, but certainty, comfort, and the safety of a predictable path.

Zeeshan is a product manager who took time away from stability to build a restaurant rooted in memory, migration, and community. What began as a food truck became Nishaan, a neighborhood gathering place, a Food Network win, and a reflection of growing up Pakistani in Chicago, where food, family, and identity are inseparable. This conversation moves through food, faith, labor, and belonging, and the quiet discipline it takes to keep showing up long after the cameras leave.

In this episode, we talk about:
Leaving a corporate career to build something that feels honest
How Pakistani and Chicago food cultures shape creativity
The unseen physical labor behind every sandwich and plate
Why open kitchens change how we value food and workers
Building without perfection and learning in public
Choosing principles over shortcuts, even on national television
Creating community before chasing scale


This episode is for:

Founders questioning the “safe” path

Creatives navigating identity through culture and work

Builders who care more about community than clout

Anyone curious about food as memory, labor, and meaning

If this conversation resonated, subscribe to the channel, leave a comment with what stayed with you, and share this episode with someone building something quietly.