Sylvia Perera turns  heritage, craft, and family into award-winning cuisine

By Tina Edward Gunawardhana

At 60, Sylvia Perera turned a lifetime of cooking into an award-winning restaurant empire, celebrating Sri Lankan heritage, family, and craft.

From the sunny  coast of Negombo to the streets of Worcester Park and Putney, Sylvia  culinary journey is as much about patience and perseverance as it is about spices and seafood. Raised in a home kitchen infused with the aromas of roasted curry powder, freshly grated coconut, and sizzling seafood, Sylvia learned early that cooking was an act of care and connection. “Cooking was always a passion for me,” she reflects. “I came here from Sri Lanka, met my husband, and we went to Australia where I attended culinary school for three years. We came back here, and by that time I had four children. They were my only concern then; I didn’t think about anything else. I wanted to let them go on their journey first. After they all graduated and started their jobs, I told them, ‘Okay, this is my time to start something.’”

Her “something” became Colombo Kitchen, first in Worcester Park in 2019 and then in Putney in 2024. Launching her first restaurant at 60, Sylvia had no idea how far her vision would reach. “I just thought, I’ll give it a go,” she says. “But I worked hard, and the reputation grew, all down to quality and good service.” Despite opening just before the pandemic, the restaurants survived thanks to loyal customers, takeaway orders, and the family’s determination. Today, Colombo Kitchen is celebrated for dishes such as lamprais, with rice and curries baked in banana leaves, and its live hopper and kottu stations elevating popular Sri Lankan street foods into culinary theatre.

Sylvia’s approach is deeply traditional. She grinds her own coconut, roasts her own spices, and prepares curries the way her grandmother did. “I don’t take shortcuts,” she explains. “The uniqueness is that the food is cooked the way our grandparents cooked. Fresh ingredients, proper Sri Lankan methods, and a little heart in every dish. Some Sri Lankan customers say it tastes like back home.” Signature dishes include jackfruit curry, coastal fish curries, and hoppers, all prepared in-house.

Family remains central to Colombo Kitchen. Sylvia’s husband sources fresh seafood daily from Billingsgate Market, connecting the London kitchens to their Negombo roots. Their children assist with operations, social media, and special events, while staff are treated as family, ensuring the warm hospitality for which the restaurants are renowned. “I treat my staff like family, so they tend to stay with me,” Sylvia says. “That bond keeps the team strong.”

Even with a strong team, Sylvia insists on being hands-on. She starts at 5 a.m. and works until 4 p.m., overseeing both kitchens. “When we first started, I did everything — cooking, cleaning, everything — sometimes finishing at 1 a.m. Now I have staff, I can relax a bit, but I still make most of the food for both restaurants,” she explains.

Her dedication and craft have earned national acclaim. Colombo Kitchen has won numerous awards, including National Chef of the Year 2024, Sri Lankan Restaurant of the Year 2023 at the Asian Restaurant Awards, the 2-star Great Taste Award 2024, and Surrey Chef of the Year. Sylvia herself acknowledges the challenges: “The industry is mostly male-dominated. It’s difficult. You have to be hardworking and passionate. For Chef of the Year, I was competing against 11 male colleagues, and I was 65 at the time.”

Resilience has been a recurring theme in her life. In 2024, while preparing to open the Putney branch, Sylvia was diagnosed with breast cancer. “I could have stepped back, but the rhythm of the kitchen and my family’s support gave me strength. I stayed hands-on for the opening before beginning treatment, and the team rallied around me,” she recalls. That experience now informs her leadership style — patient, determined, and grounded in empathy.

Colombo Kitchen has grown beyond a restaurant; it is a destination for authentic Sri Lankan cuisine and community. The Putney branch, with its open kitchen, allows diners to watch hoppers and kottu roti being prepared, while a quiet rear terrace provides a calm spot for outdoor dining. Special menus, buffet nights, and Sri Lankan New Year celebrations highlight the family’s desire to share their culture in every detail.

Sylvia’s ambition continues to expand. She hopes to open a restaurant in Central London and publish a cookbook capturing the techniques, recipes, and coastal flavours of her childhood. “I hope to inspire others, and to show that if you have determination, just go for it,” she says. For Sylvia, the secret to success is simple: respect tradition, cook with fresh ingredients, and put your heart into every dish. “At the end of the day, when people say this is the best food they’ve had, then all the tiredness is gone.”

At 67, Sylvia Perera is living proof that passion, patience, and dedication can transform a lifetime of home cooking into an award-winning culinary enterprise. In every curry, hopper, and kottu roti served at Colombo Kitchen, diners taste not just Sri Lankan food, but generations of heritage, family love, and a chef who never stopped believing in the power of tradition.