Is your profession harnessing the things you are most passionate about? For Jashan Sippy, it took a few years to figure out this confluence but now he is the name behind food and design start up Sugar & SPACE, along with managing events and partnerships at Ministry of New. We caught up with the young entrepreneur and chatted a little bit more about his journey.
What was the skill that helped you the most when it came to bringing your passion to your profession?
When I moved back to India I had to create a market in a non-existent industry to connect skill sets that I had with a passion I wanted to explore. Initially I was unsure of whether it was worth it to literally create a whole new category in the market, but eventually I realised that this was the only way to move forward. I mean five years ago, who would have thought that a food and design studio could be a viable business?
You talk a lot about cross-disciplinary approaches to business, why is this so important?
Cross disciplinary is more than just combining two industries, it’s about skill sets, ways of thinking and even styles of working. In 2020, we’ve got crowded markets, low attention spans and millennials who have access to just about anything in the world at the click of a button. The need for innovation is higher than ever so as a new business owner, being cross-disciplinary allows me to work more flexibly and also reach out to a larger audience.
"Just because you love food, doesn’t mean you should be a chef, but it does mean that you should find a way to bring it into your life in a meaningful way."
Which experiences in your life really pushed you to start blurring the boundaries between your passion and profession?
Growing up, my fondest memories were always around food. Just because you love food, doesn’t mean you should be a chef, but it does mean that you should find a way to bring it into your life in a meaningful way. Because, the moment you start working with something you’re passionate about, it changes the entire game.
I started off with a pure architectural background and somehow the projects I worked on were all in the food space from wineries and cafes to grocery stores and marijuana plantations. This was fortunate for me because it gave me the opportunity to see how I could fit my passion, food, into my practice, architecture.
How does MoN support your idea of passion and profession?
Being in this beautiful setting, you’re able to meet people from completely different fields and have such unique and interesting conversations. It’s like every interaction is an opportunity. For example, I attended Mithila’s graphology workshop and now we’re doing a project called Eat Write together, where people will create edible ink which they will then fill into pens, write something on a dessert which will then be analysed by Mithila and of course, they can then eat it.