Afleveringen
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In this episode of Tea with Tooting Mama, I welcome Mehala Ford, the founder of the Friday Sari Project.
We talk about how we first met at Mehala's unique concept store in Dulwich, which showcased innovative clothing and jewellery from contemporary designers in India and Sri Lanka.
Mehala shares her journey of rediscovering her Sri Lankan heritage, which inspired her to create the Friday Sari Project, a platform dedicated to promoting contemporary South Asian fashion and culture.
We dive into topics such as the significance of Tropical Modernism in Sri Lankan architecture, the burgeoning creative scene in Sri Lanka, and the intersection of ethical fashion and sustainability.
Mehala discusses her plans for the Friday Sari Project and her focus on promoting ethically conscious, craft-oriented designs.
We also explore Sri Lanka's vibrant and health-conscious food culture. Mehala shares some of her recent food discoveries, the brunch she would prepare for friends, and her favourite Sri Lankan restaurant.
We wrap up the episode by looking ahead to the future of the Friday Sari Project and its role in bridging South Asian traditions with contemporary global culture.
Go grab your cuppa and let's talk fashion, sustainability, and food.
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:33 The Friday Sari Project: Origins and Inspirations
01:32 Exploring Tropical Modernism and Cultural Reconnection
07:27 The Concept Store and Modern South Asian Design
14:27 Sustainability and Ethical Fashion in Sri Lanka
22:40 Food and Fashion: A Fusion of Cultures
31:42 Future Plans and Final Thoughts
Fashion and culture
Friday Sari Project
Arc en Ciel
Barefoot and Barbara Sansoni
Beerlu Lace
Cherub
Geoffery Bawa
Kur
Mercedes Benz Fashion Week
Old Railway
Rice and Carry
Sri Lankan Design Festival
Restaurants Sri Lanka
Cafe Kumbuk
Dine and Sip
Galle Face Hotel
Life’s Good Kitchen
Seed Cafe
Restaurants London
Rambutan
Kolamba
Oru Space
Hopper classes and spice blends
Hop & Roll
Grab my free guide to Sri Lankan cooking, and join the Tooting Mama community by signing up for my weekly newsletter here.
Find my recipes here.
Check out my Instagram here
Never miss a single episode by subscribing to the podcast on Apple Podcasts,Spotify, and tell your friends about Tea with Tooting Mama and my Stubstack Tooting Mama.
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Our family gatherings with the small clutch of relatives we had in the U.K. would always happen on a Sunday.
That gave my parents enough time for a round trip to the Sri Lankan grocery store to stock up on curry leaves, and a big bunch of fresh coriander, a bundle of garlic and ginger, Maldive fish, and cheaper-than-the-supermarket vegetables.
And enough time for my mum to make the chicken curry, pork curry, aubergine curry, green beans, cabbage mallung, dhal, white rice, and yellow rice. And probably devilled potatoes.
Standard fare for a Sunday family gathering.
Once we’d piled all the food on our plates, sat and devoured, us kids were swept upstairs to play while the grown-ups sat in the living room to sort out Sri Lankan politics.
Inevitably, the conversation would drift towards food—how great our collective mothers and aunties were at cooking, how the food was so much better than the restaurants we frequented in the late ’70s and ’80s. Wouldn’t it be great if we opened a restaurant? Perhaps not realising that those restaurants weren’t aimed at skilled and knowledgeable home cooks but at people who just wanted a basic bhuna and a beer.
In my podcast, I am talking to Vibushan Thirukumar, the co-founder of Oru Space, and this recollection is something we touched on—the first generation’s immigrant desire to set up a restaurant to showcase their food.
I remember this conversation coming up time and time again in my family. But, of course, come Monday, we were back at school, my dad and uncles were back at work, and mothers and aunties were back in the kitchen.
But Vibushan not only opened a restaurant, Trincos, inspired by his Sri Lankan heritage, he also co-founded Oru Space, a co-working space with wellness and community at its heart.
In this episode of Tea with Tooting Mama, Vibushan shares his journey from arriving in the U.K. as a Sri Lankan refugee to establishing a successful co-working and wellness concept in East Dulwich and Sutton.
He discusses his early life challenges, educational journey, and career shift from accounting to entrepreneurship. He delves into the inspiration behind Oru Space, the integration of his Sri Lankan heritage, and the impact of his family’s experiences.
Our conversation also covers his venture failures that led to his eventual success, his innovative approach to business, and the plans for Oru Space.
00:00 Introduction to Vibhishan Thirukumar and Oru Space
00:47 Vibhishan's Early Life and Education
01:52 Struggles and Career Shifts
07:36 Finding Passion in Retail
08:55 Transition to Accountancy
10:52 The Birth of Oru Space
15:43 Challenges and Adventures in Sri Lanka
23:21 A Dangerous Encounter in Trincomalee
24:11 Abandoning the Sri Lanka Project
24:29 Starting Fresh in London
26:13 Incorporating Wellness into Coworking
28:24 The Birth of Trinco Restaurant
28:46 Reflecting Heritage in Oru Space
37:19 Expanding OruSpace to Sutton
38:31 Future Plans and Community Focus
* Oru Space
* Rambutan
* Everest Curry King
* That Jay Rayner Review
Grab my free guide to Sri Lankan cooking, and join the Tooting Mama community by signing up for my weekly newsletter here.
Find my recipes here.
Check out my Instagram here
Never miss a single episode by subscribing to the podcast on Apple Podcasts,Spotify, and tell your friends about Tea with Tooting Mama and my Stubstack Tooting Mama.
Tooting Mama is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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In this episode, I talk to Mahesha Rice, a Reiki master and EFT practitioner, to unravel her incredible journey from a happy childhood in Sri Lanka to a new life in France.
At the age of six, Mahesha made a life-changing decision that led to her adoption by an aunt in France. She faced many challenges, including language barriers, cultural differences. Mahesha's story is a profound testament to resilience and determination.
Mahesa was incredibly brave opening up to me about her life story, and I really wanted to hold space for Mahesha as we talked about her past.
Throughout our conversation, Mahesha shares candid memories of her childhood, the difficulties of feeling isolated, the abuse she faced and the ways in which she found hope and inner strength through building a network of friends who supported her..
Mahesha’s story is one of resilience, determination, and searching for hope when you think there is none, and finding the light.
The episode also touches on her passion for Sri Lankan cuisine, highlighted by her cookbook on simple Sri Lankan recipes.
As a trigger warning, this episode includes discussions about abuse.
Join us for an inspiring story of hope, healing, and finding light in the darkest of times.
00:00 Introduction to Mahisha Rice
01:23 Early life in Sri Lanka
02:55 The decision to move to France
06:20 Adjusting to a new life
12:02 Building resilience and finding support
20:04 Healing and embracing therapy
30:30 Writing and cooking
34:45 Future plans and final thoughts
Tooting Mama Substack
Mahesha Rice website
Reiki and EFT Tapping
Mahesha’s cookbook
Mahesha’s restaurant recommendations
Colombo 16
Moonstone
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In this podcast episode, I interview Tasha Marikkar about her new cookbook, Jayaflava, which dives into the rich and diverse world of Sri Lankan cuisine.
I loved talking to Tasha who shares her passion for Sri Lanka food, our legendary aunties of Sri Lankan cooking and the unique blend of heritage, ethnicity, and religion that is reflected in Sri Lankan food.
Tasha tells me how she selected 80 recipes out of 200, shares her favorite places to eat in Sri Lanka and the UK, discusses the cultural significance of dishes like ribbon cake and how Felix Buxton of the band Basement Jaxx helped inspire the cookbook’s title: Jayaflava.
Tasha also hints at an upcoming TV series that will further explore Sri Lankan culinary traditions.
00:00 Introduction to Tasha Marrikar and her cookbook
00:31 A deep dive into into Sri Lankan cuisine
01:30 Tasha's background and family heritage
03:14 Exploring the diversity of Sri Lankan food
05:30 The journey of writing Jayaflava
10:48 Choosing Jayaflava’s rockstar recipes
21:14 Fusion recipes
23:48 Tasha's dinner party and restaurant recommedations
28:01 Upcoming projects and where to buy Jayaflava
You can buy Jayaflava here.
Tasha’s favourite restaurants in Sri Lanka and the UK
Sri Lanka
* Gini
* Ministry of Crab
* Renuka City Hotel
* Smoke and Bitters
* Hoppers
* Jaffna House
* Rambutan
* Paradise Soho
Grab my free guide to Sri Lankan cooking, join the Tooting Mama community by signing up for my weekly newsletter here.
Find my recipes here.
Check out my Instagram here
Never miss a single episode by subscribing to the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify and tell your friends about Tea with Tooting Mama and my Stubstack Tooting Mama
Why not take a screenshot of the podcast and post it on your Instagram stories and let’s spread the word about this podcast and the fantastic stores we have to share within the Sri Lankan community.
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Sarah Baldwin is the founder of Serendip
It’s a business inspired by Sarah’s love of travel, and a childhood spent living in several different countries including Sri Lanka.
The ethos of Sarah's business is to source artisan products that are handmade in Sri Lanka - and you’ll hear about the efforts Sarah goes to, to track down true artisan makers.
In our conversation we talk about the brands Sarah has sourced and how as a child she became accustomed to living in different cultures and getting used to different foods.
Sarah will give you her recommendations for restaurants in Sri Lanka and here in the UK.
Go grab your tea and settle in as I talk to Sara about her childhood, her business, Sri Lanka and most importantly food.
Serendip
The Kandy Esala Perahera
Rice and Carry
Barefoot
Hop & Roll
Little Sambol
Everest Curry King
Rambutan
Empire Cafe, Kandy
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In this South Asian Heritage Month edition of Tea with Tooting Mama, I’m talking to Krisha Puwanarajah, the co-founder of MUVs ALL DAY. Originally MUVs started out as curries delivered to customers in jars, then became a cult supper club. Krish is now on her journey to transform MUVs.
We discuss why Krish started a food business, how she used food and stories to connect people to her Sri Lankan culture and her heritage recipe.
We talk about how working in Sri Lankan food has freed her to be herself.
Grab your cuppa and tune into this podcast.
This mini-edition of Tea with Tooting Mama is supported by Hera Project X Sri Lanka and Wandsworth Council.
* MUVs ALL Day photo story
* MUVs ALL DAY
Grab my free guide to Sri Lankan cooking, join the Tooting Mama community by signing up for my weekly newsletter here.
Find my recipes here.
Check out my Instagram here
Never miss a single episode by subscribing to the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify and tell your friends about Tea with Tooting Mama and my Stubstack Tooting Mama
Why not take a screenshot of the podcast and post it on your Instagram stories and let’s spread the word about this podcast and the fantastic stores we have to share within the Sri Lankan community.
Tooting Mama is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Get full access to Tooting Mama at tootingmama.substack.com/subscribe -
In this South Asian Heritage Month edition of Tea with Tooting Mama, I’m talking to Thana Sivasambu, the founder of Ruci Foods. You may remember Thana from a previous episode of Tea with Tooting Mama.
We discuss Thana's motivation for starting a food business, how she uses food to connect people to Sri Lankan culture and her heritage recipe. A recipe she loves and one she would want to pass on.
Free to be me is the theme for this year’s South Asian Heritage Month. We talk about how working in Sri Lankan food has freed her to be herself. Thana’s response might surprise you!
Grab your cup of tea and tune into this podcast.
This mini-edition of Tea with Tooting Mama is supported by Hera Project X Sri Lanka and Wandsworth Council.
* Rebuilding Sri Lanka with chutneys, pickles and sambols
* Ruci Foods
* Thana’s heritage recipe
Grab my free guide to Sri Lankan cooking, join the Tooting Mama community by signing up for my weekly newsletter here.
Find my recipes here.
Check out my Instagram here
Never miss a single episode by subscribing to the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify and tell your friends about Tea with Tooting Mama and my Stubstack Tooting Mama
Why not take a screenshot of the podcast and post it on your Instagram stories and let’s spread the word about this podcast and the fantastic stores we have to share within the Sri Lankan community.
Tooting Mama is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Get full access to Tooting Mama at tootingmama.substack.com/subscribe -
South Asian Heritage Month seeks to raise the profile and help people understand the richness and diversity of South Asian culture in Britain today.
The 2024 celebrations focus on the theme, free to be me.
For this special edition of Tea with Tooting Mama I’m talking to the women behind the Sri Lankan Culture Collective: Rosh Olivelle, Thana Samasambu and Krish Puwanarajah.
It’s a platform to showcase modern Sri Lankan culture and identity in the UK.
You’re going to hear from Rosh Olivelle, the founder of Hop and Roll.
Rosh sells hopper making kits which allows customers to make Sri Lanka’s iconic dish at home. As well as this, Rosh runs hopper making classes and caters for events. And she has just gone on to win a Great Taste Award for her Sri Lankan roasted curry powder.
As you will see Sri Lankan food is a big part of Sri Lankan culture.
Making food central to our lives has helped Rosh, Thana and Krish be free to be themselves.
Join me as I dig deeper into their stories, their Sri Lankan heritage and identity, and find out why food plays such an important role in their lives.
Hop & Roll
Hop & Roll Instagram
Buy Hop & Roll Hopper kits
South Asian Heritage Month
Sri Lankan Culture Collective Boutique Festival
Grab my free guide to Sri Lankan cooking, join the Tooting Mama community by signing up for my weekly newsletter here.
Find my recipes here.
Check out my Instagram here
Never miss a single episode by subscribing to the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify and tell your friends about Tea with Tooting Mama and my Stubstack Tooting Mama
Why not take a screenshot of the podcast and post it on your Instagram stories and let’s spread the word about this podcast and the fantastic stores we have to share within the Sri Lankan community.
Tooting Mama is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Get full access to Tooting Mama at tootingmama.substack.com/subscribe -
Shownotes
Ruci Foods
Paradise Soho
Rambutan
MUVS ALLDAY
Larry Jeyasekara
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In this episode of Tea with Tooting Mama, I am joined by Dee Gibson, a highly sought-after British Sri Lankan interior designer.
We talked about a pivotal holiday in Sri Lanka that changed her life resulting in Dee becoming a hotelier through the creation of her boutique hotel, Kalukanda House, which has been featured in HIP Hotels and Conde Nast Traveller.
Kalulanda House is more than just a hotel. It has become the foundation to start a new conversation to shift the narrative of Sri Lanka.
Her new initiative, HERA Project X, is a curated programme of events, retreats, and cultural exchange to champion women’s creativity and entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka and the global diaspora.
Dee is looking out for like minded retreat leaders with impact who can offer enticing options and are able to provide reciprocal scholarship places to local HERA Project X beneficiaries.
During our conversation Dee revealed her favourite Sri Lankan restaurant in London and the way she has weaved Sri Lankan food into her bicultural family’s lives.
Shownotes:
* Discover Kalukanda House and HERA Project X in HIP Hotel and Conde Nast Traveller
* Find out more about Dee’s successful interior design practice Velvet Orange
* The restaurants we discussed: Kolamba restaurant, Jaffna House, MUVS ALLDAY
Tooting Mama is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
I just want to say a big thank you to Dee who, over the last few months, has been gently prodding me to get this podcast off the ground.
Whether you are building a hotel or launching your podcast:
You just got to start!
Dee Gibson, Founder of Kalukanda House and HERA Project X
Grab my free guide to Sri Lankan cooking, join the Tooting Mama community by signing up for my weekly newsletter here.
Find my recipes here.
Check out my Instagram here
Never miss a single episode by subscribing to the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify and tell your friends about Tea with Tooting Mama and my Stubstack Tooting Mama
Why not take a screenshot of the podcast and post it on your Instagram stories and let’s spread the word about this podcast and the fantastic stores we have to share within the Sri Lankan community.
Get full access to Tooting Mama at tootingmama.substack.com/subscribe
