Flavour of The Month: Chai
BSc FNH (Major in Nutritional Sciences), 2020
We asked LFS alum Rabeeah Diwan what her favourite flavour was, and this young entrepreneur choose the chai version of a chocolate bar she made.
What is your favourite ‘flavour and why?
My favourite flavour is Chai. As someone of South Asian heritage, it’s the beverage that keeps me going. It’s like a hug, a piece of home and a boost of energy all in one.
What are your highlights from studying Food, Nutrition and Health in LFS?
It would definitely be the small community feeling I felt being a part of LFS. UBC can be a behemoth of a place where it’s easy to get lost, but LFS felt like home. Grabbing dinner on Wednesday nights or a granola bar from Agora on busy days, and participating in the fun activities (like LFS firsts) were some highlights for me.
What are you currently working on? Tell us about your company.
The big one is a bean-to-bar chocolate business I started back home in Pakistan – Raco Chocolate (www.racochocolate.com) – which is my creative outlet too. It started out as a covid experiment into craft chocolate and snowballed. I had to hold back on saying my favourite flavour is chocolate because that would be so cliche!
Aside from that, I’ve been helping fundraise for the SVNH Food Hub this summer and will be working in product development for Herbaland in the Fall.
How did your time in LFS impact you in your career since graduating?
It was a very rounded experience. I got to do regular, science-y courses but then had some classes where I’d be at a dairy farm and having powerful discussions on food security. In fact, some of the businesses I did case studies on (East Van Roasters, Skipper Otto) were inspirations for my chocolate business.
How do you stay connected to LFS and your alumni community?
I reach out to my old boss and professors a lot. Whether it’s for advice or recommendations and I try to attend a few career events and stay in touch with some of my classmates. I was also part of the LFS Mentorship Program a while back which was awesome!!
Do you have some top tips for new alumni looking for their first job?
It’s challenging! I’ve been back in Vancouver for almost a year and it took me a while to find something. I would say, besides working on your resume to show results and adding character to your cover letter, keep reaching out to people whose work you’re interested in. Building connections is the only way right now.
And finally, where on campus was your go-to place to eat and/or place to relax?
Sage was a fun, once-in-a-while treat and they accepted meal plans. I wrote this article when I was a student https://spoonuniversity.com/school/ubc/all-the-food-you-need-to-eat-at-ubc. I think that JJ Bean Coffee Roasters cookies are better than Blue Chip – the upstairs is a nice, hidden-ish working spot. And Great Dane has great outdoor sofas to sip coffee on. In winter I would look for fireplaces: Loafe in the Alumni Centre and Mercante.