Stefania Piccardo obtained her Ph.D. in English language and literature from La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. During her academic years, she worked for Scottish distilleries and castles as a tour guide in multiple languages. Her love for Scotland brought her back to Aberdeen in 2003, where she obtained an MSc in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs from Robert Gordon University.
She then worked for multiple organizations but soon realized that she wanted to teach languages privately to the corporate level. Stefania has helped many students achieve the best grades in school and university but most of all she has the ambition to train corporate employees who deal with import/export, foreign trade or want to develop their career and expand their horizons for more opportunities in Europe and beyond. She speaks four languages including Italian, her mother tongue, English, French and Spanish and she has founded Language tutor4U back in 2012.
In addition to her teaching schedule, she works as a PR/Marketing manager for Namaste Delhi, the innovative and traditional Indian restaurant she owns along with her husband in Aberdeen City center since 2018. As a keen writer, she also enjoys feeding social media posts and writing for her blogs about Italian and Indian cultures, languages, and much more!
Who is Stefania?
I obtained my PhD in English language and literature from La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. During my academic years, I worked for Scottish distilleries and castles as a tour guide in multiple languages. My love for Scotland brought me back to Aberdeen in 2003, where I obtained an MSc in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs from Robert Gordon University.
I started learning languages since I was 14 in school and I cultivated these disciplines. Now I speak four languages including Italian, my mother tongue, English, French and Spanish and I have founded Language tutor4U back in 2012.
In addition to my teaching schedule, I work as a PR/Marketing manager for Namaste Delhi, the innovative and traditional Indian restaurant in Aberdeen City centre since 2018. As a keen writer, I also enjoy feeding social media posts and writing for my blogs about Italian and Indian cultures, languages and much more!
I am currently a proud Executive Contributor at Brainz magazine where I have posted a few articles about Indian food, Italian culture and languages.
I live in Aberdeen, Scotland and I am a mother to a girl of 9 and a boy of 3 years old. In my spare time, I have many hobbies and interests such as swimming, pilates, Qi gong, alternative therapies and meditation. I also love reading novels but I don’t get much time to do that with two kids who keep me on my toes!
What is that you do for clients?
With regards to Language tutor4u, I love to teach languages to a wide range of people within a friendly and approachable environment. I am happy to see my clients enjoying the learning process and develop new skills that they may need for their job or just for their own leisure when visiting their favourite country. I believe language learning is part of a healthy lifestyle as there are many long-term benefits that come with studying a new idiom, from enhanced memory skills to preventing dementia to overcoming the boundaries of communication and expanding your horizons.
PR/Marketing for Namaste Delhi Indian restaurant, Aberdeen
As a PR/Marketing manager for Namaste Delhi, I am keen in providing and organising entertaining musical live events, writing articles for the blog to promote Indian food Namaste Delhi style and our zesty cocktails. I enjoy taking videos and pictures of our chefs when they perform their dexterous culinary abilities in the kitchen for the posts on our social media network. I love going to networking events, spreading the word about Namaste Delhi, spotting potential opportunities for the business and keeping in touch.
Who should work with you?
Anyone who are interested in other cultures, languages, Indian food, companies who are looking for long lasting and solid business partnerships. We are partnering with local charities around Aberdeen and we are a BOA partner with the Aberdeen football club. We are also looking to team up with local golf courses to enhance business potential beneficial to both sides.
What is your big goal where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
I believe success is an ongoing process and an everyday commitment. There is no limit to what you can achieve if you set your mind to it. 10 years is a long time away but I see myself growing professionally within my businesses, thriving as an entrepreneur and see these two businesses flourish.
Why is Namaste Delhi different?
Our tasty food is prepared individually with the customer in mind and at customer’s request. We use fresh local produce, and every sauce is cooked separately with different spices according to the item being prepared.
We offer homemade style tapas and á la carte dishes, to give people the opportunity to share and enjoy together. Traditionally cooked, the food stands out as authentic as average people would cook at home or on the busy streets of the organized chaotic Indian cities. The aim is to bring the real India to the table, not only to promote food but also to replicate the Indian social perspective of collectively sharing food with family and friends.
Whether you decide to walk in or enjoy the food in the comfort of your home, or delivering at your chosen location, Namaste Delhi is the ticket that will take you straight to India saving you the hassle of the journey.
As soon as you come in, Namaste Delhi takes you on a journey of flavours of the East. You are greeted by the smell of the traditional spices which take you back to the past centuries when Delhi was governed by the Mughals, Afghanis, Rajputs to name a few. Due to these influences, Delhi is today a melting pot of cultures, and these differences are skilfully blended in the incredible food India boasts today.
The menu starts off with mouth-watering dishes where contemporary meets authentic in a delightful marriage of flavours, a skillful combination of spices and aromas will make your palate sing and make your experience of India unforgettable.
We also have a range of innovative services like cooking and cocktail classes, live piano events, afternoon tea with an Indian twist, team buildings, parties, corporate functions. We are continuously brainstorming to bring more pioneering services to the Aberdeen hospitality stage.
What is the idea behind the business?
The idea was generated by eating out at various Indian restaurants in Aberdeen and UK throughout the years. There was the realization of not getting the same food Indian people eat at home. We noticed a gap in the hospitality sector as regards to Indian restaurants as most of them are not offering typical, traditional dishes but the food is often times adapted to the local taste.
The ambition of Namaste Delhi is to bring the real taste of India, to bring authentic Indian food from the streets of Delhi to Aberdeen.
How has it all started?
The process was a steep learning curve from looking for the right location, decorating the ambience, to recruiting the right people which was something we had never done before. To bring the real taste of India to you every day we have run a tough selection of chefs who are Indians and have the highest level of quality in their cooking. It has been a long journey so far but there have been lots of valuable lessons learnt in the process. The purpose is to change the general perspective on Indian food.
What has been your main challenge?
The biggest challenge has been to break into a well-established market as regards to Indian restaurants as there are so many in Aberdeen, Scotland and UK. We had to change people’s mindset as locals were and still are used to Indian food that is cooked to local taste. This is an ongoing process.
What is your vision for the future?
It is a young business but very ambitious, there are lots of ideas on the plate (pun not intended!) to innovate, bring new flavours to the table and new pioneering services to our customers.
Our long-term goals: open more branches within UK and internationally to spread the real taste of India!
3 tips.…
Come out of your comfort zone and you will experience great things!
Passion and hard work make things happen
Every small step builds the road to success
