But when the man in question is Omar Shah, and the ventures are part of his eclectic stable of food outlets along Kentish Town Road, you better believe he can do it.
The first of them Hoodwood is a takeaway “spin-off” of his existing Carribbean smokehouse Guanabana.
When it opens at midday on Thursday (April 10) he will give away 100 portions of pie and mash – except not the kind that London is famous for.
These golden-hued homemade pattie pies come with a jerk gravy and are filled with slow cooked meats cooked over an open flame with the smoky flavours of the Caribbean.
Cafe Mama & Sons officially opens on Saturday April 12 at 83, Kentish Town Road. (Image: Supplied) Opening next door on Saturday, April 12 is Cafe Mama & Sons, a Filipino bakery serving Japanese-style Sandos, cakes and coffee.
Then at the end of the month will come wood-fired bistro Belly.
All are on Kentish Town Road, where the entrepreneur grew up and where he and his family have run restaurants for four decades.
“I live on the street and sometimes I don’t get out of Kentish Town Road for days – I feel I need a passport sometimes!” says Omar.
“My mum and dad opened up (pan-Asian cafe) Bintang in 1987 and I’ve lived around here all my life. I tried to get away from the family business but it pulled me back.
“I opened Guanabana in 2008 and since then we’ve opened six or seven places on the street.”
“This little stretch where we are was a no-go area for a long time, derelict, with shops closed for years,” he recalls. “No-one really wanted to visit, then slowly landlords came up to offer me a space, and each time we thought ‘what doesn’t the neighbourhood have that won’t compete with ourselves?'”
That’s how Omar came to stand out on London’s food scene as an innovator with ventures which seem wildly different – yet all reflect his love of Filipino food.
Omar also owns Filipino-style Ramo Ramen in Soho, Mamasons Dirty (Filipino) ice-cream in Westfield and Kentish Town, and is not slowing down any time soon.
“It’s a spin off of one our our restaurants,” he says. “I decided to create this concept for the neighbourhood. Guanabana wasn’t serving the neighbourhood as much and we wanted a version at a good accessible price point. Two pies mash and gravy for £10.”
When Cafe Mama and Sons opens at 83 Kentish Town Road, they will give away 100 Ensaymada banana puddings – inspired by the signature dessert of New York’s Magnolia Bakery.
Billed as a cafe kiosk, it revolves around a signature pandesal dough that is baked from scratch at the back of the cafe.
The soft Filipino brioche-style bread works with both sweet and savoury items, including Japanese-style sandos with Omar’s twist; thick slices packed with fillings like home made salt beef, mushroom adobo, tuna melt with capers, egg mayo, and a jerk chicken club sandwich.
Sweet treats include matcha and miso milk chocolate cookies, ensaymada topped with buttercream and cheese, and honey toast – with drinks ranging from great coffee courtesy of London roastery Catalyst, to Ube Matcha drinks including a signature latte made with sweetcorn milk.
“We wanted to create a cafe shop front that was a bit more elevated but still playful,” says Omar.
He points out that having several establishments in close proximity influences each venture, so the jerk chicken from Hoodwood becomes a sando filling at Cafe Mama.
“Necessity is the mother of invention and getting premises next to each other means we can’t step on our own toes. Thank God we’ve been successful with our concepts,” says Omar.
At their core they retain the family ethos with various members managing different brands – and a love of community.
“It’s nice to see the shops, people coming from outside, and to make sure the block looks good for the whole community,” he says proudly.
His dad Shadok may have retired from running Bintang but has been “a big inspiration”.
Omar said: “He’s in his 70s and I still get an earful about what I should be doing. He’s well known in the neighbourhood and pops into the restaurants like it’s his own kitchen.”
