The last time we visited Mongolian Street it was just offering takeaway. Dine-in facilities were barely sorted out. In just a few short months “Mongolian Street ‘’ has fully furnished their restaurant, made it into a cosy little cove that’s perfect for a quiet night out with friends or family and revamped their whole Mongolian experience.
In this series, we talk to people who turned their passion for food and baking into a business idea amidst lockdown and COVID-19 fears.
Takeout Lanka, a not so new addition to the game, has been working quietly on making a name for themselves - purely using word-of-mouth. Originally a fast-food franchise from Bangladesh, Takeout started off in Sri Lanka somewhere around 2019 and has since been perfecting their work to bring to the table what could possibly be deemed one of the best burgers in Sri Lanka.
Thanuja Kariyawasam worked in the corporate sector for almost 17 years before she decided to retire after her third born. Because she was always passionate about cooking and dreamed of one day opening her own cafe, Thanuja decided that she would start her own food business.
Magic Batter is the union of two things Nihara De Alwis loves the most: good food and creativity. A brand that has been making a name for itself since 2016, Nihara took the pandemic period to restructure her part-time business into a full-time commitment.
Run by a trio of avid foodies, Rukshani Gunaratne, Teruni Gunaratne and Michelle Perera have been unofficially baking cakes, making desserts and trying all sorts of recipes for friends and family since they were young. After receiving great feedback from friends and family, they started RTM Delights back in 2015.
Today I’m so happy to be tagged on this page called Smoking Hearts. It’s also close to me because two of my favourite people Jonathan and Ryan are also a part of this amazing team that produces, yummy heart-warming food.
Nozomi’s owner, Thushara Ekanayake has been in the hotel and tourism industry for 20+ years and runs a successful tourism business in Japan. His frequent visits to the country and his love for the cuisine is what has translated into the opening of Nozomi – a word that means ‘hope’ in Japanese. “At the end of the day, everything is about hope, right?” asks Thushara.
Having always had a keen interest in baking, Rakshanaa knew she wanted to start her own home baking business – the only question she had was what kind of baked good she would like to offer. “I wanted to do something that was different from what everyone else was doing and somehow, the idea of jar cheesecakes sounded great to me.” Her home baking business ‘Bubby’s’ is named after the fond nickname her family calls her at home.
How do our food experts cook and eat? This week, Dubai-based Chef de Cuisine and YouTuber, Chef Upul takes our Q&A!
For home baker Deepika Nishshanka, the lockdown last year allowed her to turn a hobby into a business as she managed to find the time to craft what was once a passionate hobby into a full-time business. “After perfecting my technique, I was able to get a lot of orders and create a brand for myself. The idea behind the brand ‘DSD Cakes’ is to have a brand name that represents both myself and my husband – the biggest supporter in this venture!”.
Anyone who has lived in the Mount Lavinia area, or Colombo for that matter, has known the almost palatial monument known as the Mount Lavinia Hotel to be a place of grandeur. It has also over the years made quite a name for its food - local delicacies with their own little twist.
It goes without saying that rice is the staple food in Sri Lanka. But did you know that countless other countries across the world have their own take on rice? I didn’t know this, and seeing the colourful presentation of 8 different rice-based dishes as I sat at Graze Kitchen at the Hilton, blew my mind!
As someone who generally prefers savoury over sweet, there are a select few desserts I truly enjoy and crave. To possibly no one’s surprise, the sensuously decadent cheesecake ranks among the top contenders. But despite my love for it, I typically give it a hard pass because somehow, in the process of being made, most cheesecakes end up lost in translation.
Ashendri Amaratunge’s home baking business kicked off in early 2021 with a little inspiration from her family and friends. “When my sister came back to Sri Lanka from the US, she kept asking me to make her a key lime pie as she wanted me to recreate the one, she had at the Farmer’s Market back in San Francisco. It ended up being an absolute hit with her, which then pushed me to perfect my recipe and share it with my family and friends...’’
Filling a much-needed void for authentic Indonesian cuisine in Colombo’s culinary landscape, Chef Farida Gultom and Alec Van Cuylemberg have launched Bali Bali CMB.
It has indeed been a while since any of us have had a chance to step inside any of the fine dining spots in Colombo. Since working from home became a staple in the Lankan corporate lifestyle, it has become increasingly easy to find some time to indulge in a few fine foods with very few ways of doing so, given the ongoing situation.
Sashini Azmeera Perera was always interested in baking as a child. After completing her A-Levels, she studied a course on the fundamentals of baking and continued further by studying industrial baking. “I owned many recipe books for various baked goods and I used every charity bake sale held at school as an opportunity to bake something myself’’.
Tania Tahang started her home baking business ‘Cravings Cakery’ 5 years ago. “I always used to crave sweets thanks to my sweet tooth so naturally, Cravings Cakery seemed like the natural choice!”.
Avid cupcake fanatic, Hafsa Shafraz, never thought she’d enjoy making the cupcakes she has always loved to eat. But with a lockdown and nothing but time, she found a talent for baking and wasted no time starting her own home business.
How do our food experts cook and eat? Home baker and amateur food photographer Amal of @thunapahadiaries takes our Q&A!
As their apt moniker implies, the Stranded Chefs, husband and wife duo, Buddhika Marasinghe and Padmini Nagalingam who combine their skills as a baker /chef were all set to return to Australia when the third wave of the pandemic wreaked havoc on their plans.
Chamindri de Fonseka, fondly known as ‘Chums’ with friends and family, was working as a graphic designer doing branding and packaging through her boutique design firm. Trying her hand at baking during the first lockdown and happy with the success of her goodies, she decided to start her own home baking business.
Cake Vault by Shehani Perera was a lockdown project that kicked off in June 2020. Having been fond of cooking and baking since she was small, she has perfected her craft following baking courses done by Mrs Tiffany Shereen of SweetFixbyTiffany. “Once I completed the baking course, I wasn’t planning on starting a home baking business. But once the first lockdown was imposed, I was left with a lot of free time in my hands...’’
Today I was tagged on an interesting page run by twins and I must say they are cute and the food tastes amazing. These two boys speak the language of love and only positivity and humbleness you see in them. I was so happy I was able to spend my afternoon with them, not only trying their amazing food, but also coming to know how their challenging life has inspired them to achieve their dreams. Meet Sudesh and Thilina.
At a very young age, Pawani Attanayake learnt to love the art of cakes. “I’ve always loved eating cake! And very often it was homemade. To date, I cherish my childhood memories of helping my mom bake and decorate cakes for almost every family occasion.”
Pawani Neligama has been a baker since she was 10 – starting off a fledgeling side business as a sous chef to her mother (whisking eggs and licking off batter) before experimenting on her own with recipes from Nigella Lawson and Matt Preston in a grand make-believe cooking show.
A small tea kiosk down Marine Drive has been the talk of the town as of late. Serving spice-infused tea, better known as Chai, Chaiwala Colombo is the latest example to be added to the list of entrepreneurial ventures in the face of the pandemic.
Trying any type of new food is a challenge I accept with glee. Therefore when I was tasked with reviewing Bacon Jam by Anjo’s I took to the task like a duck to water. I mean, who does not love bacon!
Lubna Imtizam has always had a passion for baking and whipping up quick desserts. “Two of my favourite hobbies include baking and decorating, so my aim was to create a curated dessert box that combines the two. I’m very particular about creating something unorthodox and aesthetically pleasing. Beauty lies in all of the little details and I would like to showcase that through my dessert box!”.
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