Meet Arshiya Farheen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arshiya Farheen.  

Hi Arshiya, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi, My name is Arshiya Farheen, chef & owner of Verzênay, a French patisserie/cafe in Chicago. I grew up in India and trained professionally in the pastry arts in Paris. After graduating from the Ferrandi School of culinary arts Paris and training at hotel Le Meurice & Delmontel, Verzênay became the means to share my passion for high-quality bread, pastries, and desserts. Living in Paris helped me recreate the most authentic and flavorful French desserts in Chicago. 

With help & support from my husband, Aqeel, I started Verzênay in 2014 at Green City Farmers Market and grew by catering to hotels and coffee shops. In 2021, we opened our retail store in Lincoln Park. 

At Verzênay, our mission is to provide customers with products that are best in taste and quality, with locally sourced clean ingredients. I value my direct relationship with farmers as it supports the community directly and gives me the accessibility to use great quality produce. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When we started at Green city market, the first challenge was to use only local produce, which meant not being able to use nuts, chocolate, coffee, etc. (some of the key ingredients used in French pastries). We adapted and evolved, forming long-lasting relationships with farmers, and continue to use local fruits and produce in most of our items to this day. 

Second was, since we did not have a retail storefront for 8 years, we had a hard time establishing a customer base, and even though we had a good number of loyal customers from the farmer’s market, it was not enough to grow the business profitably. We branched out and supplied to hotels, coffee shops, and Whole Foods grocery stores across Chicagoland. 

Third, we signed the lease to our store in March 2020, right before the shutdown. We had to pay the rent for more than a year plus the expenses of an extended buildout without any revenue coming in. We depleted almost all our savings and started with almost zero capital when the store opened in July 2021. Plus, as a new mom and no immediate family nearby meant minimal childcare support right when the store opened. 

We continue to face the challenges of staffing shortage, opening during the pandemic, childcare support, etc., but the love for making good food and feeding people, the amazing feedback from our growing loyal customer base, keeps us going, one day at a time. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We don’t market this typically, but as a woman, my other key area of focus is economic empowerment for women. We provide flexibility in terms of work hours and provide access to training and growth opportunities for women and moms who find it challenging to find and hold a job in the food industry. 

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
1. I am a member of the “Let’s Talk Womxm, Chicago” group with monthly sessions that dive into business issues where we learn from each other, share counsel and referrals.

2. Flour Water Yeast Salt was my very first bread book- reading about the chef and his struggles was inspiring, and the recipes were very simple to follow.

All Pierre Herme, Philip Conticini & Fou de Pâtisserie magazines. Their focus on taste and use of ingredients border towards a sort of indulgence and luxury as far as pastries are concerned. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verzenaychicago/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verzenaychicago/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/verzenay-patisserie-chicago