The Spinoff | Bringing out the real flavours of South Auckland

The Spinoff | Bringing out the real flavours of South Auckland

ย An innovative business accelerator programme is not only helping people get a foothold in the hospitality industry but, as Justin Latif reports, itโ€™s also changing the way South Aucklanders think about their local cuisine.ย 

When it comes to food in South Auckland, greasy corner-store takeaways or brazen fast-food franchises might spring to mind.ย 

But three local female entrepreneurs want to change that perception.ย 

The trio are part of a wave of newly established, authentically South Auckland food businesses, being supported by a council-funded business-incubation programme called The Kitchen Project.ย 

Beyond butter chicken

After leaving Mumbai, India, where she ran a catering business with her husband, Perzen Patel decided she wanted to offer Kiwis an alternative to the watered-down curry pastes commonly found in supermarkets.ย 

โ€œIt has always been at the back of my mind that I want people to know thereโ€™s more to Indian food than just butter chicken.โ€

She hopes herย Dolly Mummaย products not only introduce customers to a wider variety of curry flavours, but are also really easy to use.

โ€œTypically when someone wants to cook a curry, you either buy a sauce from the supermarket, or you go it alone, and you get 20 different spices from the Indian shop.ย 

โ€œHopefully we can be that middle ground. Itโ€™s a fresh product, not made with preservatives, using my grandmotherโ€™s recipes, but essentially itโ€™s still a paste, so you can just tip and go.โ€

She credits The Kitchen Project with helping her to hone her products as well as being a sounding board.

โ€œI call my business mentor โ€˜my therapistโ€™ because I could call her anytime to get help with each and every issue that would arise.โ€

The Takanini resident says another motivation is to show people that South Auckland cuisine is more than whatโ€™s commonly available.ย 

โ€œSo much of the food thatโ€™s available in our area is fast food or your traditional European fare, and itโ€™s not really reflective of the people who live here. Iโ€™m really passionate about showing people a real version of Indian food, not just this one version that people have in their minds.โ€

Read the full article on The Spinoff

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.