Marion Sauvebois meets a man who, despite lacking a sweet tooth, has got his just desserts in the form of Swindon’s new pudding parlour, Kaspa’s

HE was never one to swoon over a slice of lemon meringue pie or salivate at the sight of a custard-slathered brownie.

In fact for most of his life, Rafi Zaidi has shunned puddings and pastries altogether.

And yet when time came to fulfil his ambition of becoming a restaurateur, he was firm in his decision to open a dessert parlour franchise, Kaspa’s Desserts.

“Personally, I don’t have a sweet tooth and if I did I would probably be twice the size I am,” said the 35-year-old Londoner.

Launching his own restaurant may have been a childhood dream but the father-of-three followed a somewhat unconventional path before finally realising his goal.

A natural ability at maths led Rafi to study engineering at university.

Soon he was collaborating on major construction projects, including the Olympic stadium’s athletes village.

Despite an enviable career, his dream still beckoned.

Opportunity, timing, family connections and an attractive venue – although not quite where he had expected to find it – all conspired until he found himself with no choice but to give in.

“Twenty years ago when I thought up the idea I didn’t see it being in Swindon, not at that age. I didn’t even know where Swindon was.

“I was good at maths so I did my A-level in maths and I studied engineering. I did my masters at Southbank University and I became an engineer in 2002.

“I worked on the Olympics project for six and a half years.

“I was one of the first people to go on the site. I was there from day one. I also worked on stadiums abroad.

“But I knew that’s what I wanted – I always wanted to own a cool place for people to hang around.

“This was just perfect timing. I wanted to move away from engineering and my cousin was looking for a new venture as well. And my children absolutely love desserts.

“But we didn’t want to open another chain in London. We wanted to go into a town where we stood out and where we were part of a community.

“It’s a dream come true. I’ve wanted this from such a young age. It still doesn’t feel real.”

Kaspa’s opened in Princes Street at the end of November.

Every day since, Rafi and his cousin and co-franchisee Shabahat Hussain have thanked their lucky stars for the parlour’s astonishing crowd appeal.

“I was worried no one would come to the opening night.

“But we opened at 7pm and there was such a big buzz.

“I left at 9pm and the two hours are a blur. It was overwhelming. I felt a sense of achievement.

“It was not easy, trying to find the money for a project of this size, especially with a family and a full-time job. It means everything to me, personally.”

The dessert chain has already won over legions of sweet-toothed Londoners with scores of treats on offer such as crepes, waffles, ice cream sundaes and milkshakes at its four American diner-style parlours across the capital.

The gelato and dessert house favourites include the Canadian Winter Waffle, Belgian White Chocolate crepe and The Great Knickerbocker Glory sundae, and judging by the endless flow of customers passing through its doors well into the night – Kaspa’s is open until 11pm each day – the idea is certainly satisfying Swindonians’ cravings.

Rafi said: “It’s extremely busy so far and the good thing about this place is that it’s affordable. I have children and I know that just going out for a meal can be very expensive.” Rafi, who still lives in London, is now looking to move to Swindon with his family.

While most would bask in their success, the queues forming outside the parlour have caused Rafi some anxiety.

“Last week we had a huge queue of people waiting and that makes me panicky. “I was in London but I can monitor what’s going on here on my phone – I can look at the surveillance cameras. One of my colleagues at work said ‘You look pale, are you OK?’. I never in my dreams expected it to take off so quickly.

“This is one of the biggest chains at the moment but we’ve got space at the back and we’re thinking about what to do and if we want to expand.”

Rafi has a few other ideas for Kaspa’s Swindon, including a burgers menu and healthy options.

“The chain has its menu but going forward I want healthy options.

“And I love burgers so I would like to have burgers as well and make it like an American-style diner. I’m always thinking ahead and looking at the options available.

“We’ll try to bring a second menu next year hopefully.”