Couple bring taste of Kerala out to streets

Anil Kumar serves a customer from his Diversity The Taste on Wheels cart on Maunu Rd. Photo / John Stone

Food lovers in Whangarei can add another menu to their growing list with the opening of an outlet selling traditional cuisine from the Indian state of Kerala.

Husband and wife Anil Kumar and Nisha Anil last week started Diversity The Taste on Wheels, a mobile food cart on Maunu Rd, and cook vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Their particular emphasis is on Keralese food.

Mr Kumar is keen to open a restaurant in town after saving enough capital but his immediate priority is for his small business to succeed.

The couple arrived from India about five years ago and while Mrs Anil got work as a nurse, the job she did back home, he was keen to pursue his cooking passion.

He graduated in hotel management and had a food business in Kerala and on arrival in Whangarei he enrolled in a cookery course at NorthTec, aiming to do something similar here.

The start-up cost of their new venture, Mrs Anil explained, ran into tens of thousands of dollars.

"It was really difficult. The biggest cost was $40,000 for the custom-made trailer. We then had to get a vehicle to tow it," she said.

They also had to find a suitable location and Mrs Anil said central Whangarei was not ideal because of parking, it was far from their home, andother Indian restaurants are in the area.

The couple live in Maunu.

Despite the difficult start, she is confident people will love the food.

"Kiwis who visited Kerala and tasted the food there say to us they miss that food in Whangarei. That also played a part in our decision to open this business," Mrs Anil said.

"Our food is different to those in other three South Indian states and I am sure people will like it."

Mrs Anil said her husband also cooked North Indian and other dishes such as Chinese.

So far, paratha or flat bread, chicken curry and masala dosa have proved most popular.

Dosa is a fermented crepe made from rice batter and black lentils. It is a staple dish in South India.

Check the Diversity the Taste on Wheels' Facebook page for daily updates on menus.

- Up to 400 Keralese live in Whangarei.