WHEN Mei-Sann Yong and her fiancé Suresh Chandra decided to open a gourmet food store in Bulwer Street, Perth, they turned to their respective ancestries for inspiration.
As the name suggests, Turban Chopsticks is something of a fusion of cultures, reflecting Mei-Sann’s Malaysian-Chinese background and Suresh’s Singaporean-Indian heritage.
The recently opened shop has a tiny kitchen, from which Suresh cooks up the array of wares that line the shop’s shelves.
Drawing on recipes handed down by their mothers and grandmothers, the couple sell a range of condiments, sauces, marinades, spice rubs and other items designed to add that decadently exotic touch to the dining table.
Among the standouts are green apple chilli jam, barbecued onions, shiitake pepper gravy, white lentil and coconut pan-fried fritters and cranberry and walnut stuffing.
Then there is the royal festival biryani (Indian rice with cashews and sultanas), that simply calls for the addition of tiger prawns or chicken; and the jewelled mung beans with spinach and spices, which makes an ideal creamy lentil base for Moroccan lamb.
Mei-Sann said their vision was to create a store where the time-poor consumer could pop in after a and grab some wholesome goodies to help with whipping up the night’s meal.
“We make everything from our open kitchen, so people can see where the food is coming from and ask questions as to what is going into the food they are buying,” she said.
“We are also vegan friendly, do not use artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and 95 per cent of our products are gluten-free.”
While the pair have always regarded themselves as passionate foodies, they made the bold decision to trade in high-flying corporate careers to pursue their culinary dream.
Mei-Sann has a commerce degree from Curtin University under her belt, and worked as a human resources adviser at some of WA’s leading mine sites. She also had a stint working overseas, in Laos.
Suresh is a qualified accountant who worked in the education and resources sectors.
In March last year they quit their jobs and went travelling to help inspire their new business concept.
But it is the home front that has borne the most influence on their choice of career change.
“I have always had a fascination with food and inherited a lot of the recipes from my grandma, who was a brilliant cook,” she said.
“My family has owned factories in Malaysia, specialising in pastries, cakes, breads and other gourmet goodies, supplying clients such as Starbucks.
“Whenever I would go back to Malaysia, I would find myself submerged in this world of baking and food.”