Meet The Cook’s, Zak & Nesma | Coffee Entrepreneurs

We had the good fortune of connecting with The Cook’s, Zak & Nesma and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi The Cook’s, Zak & Nesma, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Starting Cook’s Coffee felt like the natural next step in our journey together as a couple. For years, we had dreamed of building something meaningful—a business that reflected our passion for great coffee, fostered a sense of community, and gave us the freedom to step away from the corporate world. Most importantly, we wanted to create a foundation for our future family.

What started as a fun dream we’d talk about gradually became something we were determined to make a reality. In 2022, we decided to take it seriously and began researching how to bring our vision to life. We knew it wouldn’t be easy, but by combining our strengths, we were ready to take on the challenge. Nesma’s background in business and her experience running her own small business gave us the confidence to take this leap. Paired with Zak’s time working in coffee shops and his deep understanding of specialty coffee, we had the foundation and drive we needed to get started.

With a tight budget, we decided that a mobile coffee cart was the perfect entry point. This approach allowed us to start small, test our concept, and connect with the community while steadily building our brand. Together, we learned how to navigate the unique challenges of running a mobile business and grew stronger with each step.
Coffee has always held a special place in our lives. Some of our most cherished memories are from exploring coffee shops, attending Cars & Coffee on the weekends, and imagining what we’d do if we had our own space. Those “what if” conversations became the inspiration and foundation for Cook’s Coffee.

Now, nearly two years later, we’re still learning, growing, and evolving every day. We’re excited for what’s ahead and grateful to be on this journey together.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
When we started Cook’s Coffee two years ago, one of our biggest challenges was the lack of resources and guidance for coffee cart businesses. There weren’t many mobile coffee operations to learn from, and advice from the industry was often too general. We had to figure out our own flow and discover what worked best for us through trial and error.

Being a couple-owned business adds complexity affecting both our personal and professional lives. In the beginning, we were balancing demanding corporate jobs while dedicating evenings and weekends to building Cook’s. The first year was especially tough, but we stayed motivated and used every bit of free time to grow. A turning point came when Nesma was laid off, and we decided she would focus on expanding Cook’s. Over the past year, we rebranded with a fresh logo, switched to a new roaster, launched bottled lattes, created a website and added a second cart, all of which helped refine our vision and operations.

As a mobile business, one on-going challenge is not having a fixed location, which makes it hard to maintain consistent traffic or train a dedicated team. Each event is unique, requiring us to adjust staffing and logistics on the fly. Additionally, since we still have other work commitments, we’ve been limited in the number of weekday events we can take on, which has slowed our growth compared to businesses that operate full-time. To overcome some of our challenges, we’ve been focusing on building a stronger online presence and a clear brand for our customers. By actively marketing on social media, creating a user-friendly website, and participating in local events, we’ve built a small loyal following that seeks us out wherever we are. While staffing remains a hurdle, we’ve been trying out a flexible approach to hiring, working with people who already have coffee knowledge and can be trained specifically for our events.

What sets us apart is our dedication to quality and creativity. We balance our love for quality espresso with a menu of fun, seasonal drinks made with fresh, high-quality ingredients, often featuring house-made sauces or syrups. Every drink is carefully taste-tested to ensure it’s perfectly balanced, delivering both flavor and the espresso quality we’re passionate about. While the journey hasn’t been easy, every challenge has taught us resilience and adaptability. These lessons have shaped who we are as a business and as a team, and we’re proud of how far we’ve come while staying true to our values.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We’ve been blessed with an amazing circle of support from the very beginning, and we want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude. To our incredible family, friends and community, who have stood by us since we launched in 2022, thank you. From coming out to every event to recommending us to your friends and coworkers, your unwavering encouragement has been the core of Cook’s Coffee.

You’ve given us so much room to grow and flourish as business owners, and we couldn’t have done it without you. A special shoutout goes to some amazing friends and community organizations: Sabil USA, Sababa Falafel Shop, New Horizon School, Poppiseed Market, Golden Lantern Roasters and Bloom Espresso. Thank you for believing in us and being part of this journey. We’re beyond grateful for each and every one of you!

Website: https://cookscoffeeco.com

Instagram: @cookscoffeeco

Facebook: https://facebook.com/CooksCornerCoffee/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cooks-coffee-lake-forest-2

Image Credits
Samantha Bella, Mahnoor Ahmad