A taste of ‘Bula’

TUCKED away in Alexandria, Sydney, The Spice Plantation is bringing the taste of Fiji to Australians and people from different cultures.

Owned by Marilyn Khan Chand, the restaurant opened on October 10 last year, Fiji’s Independence Day, with a mission to share Fijian food, culture and hospitality with the wider Australian community.

Born in Lautoka and raised in Suva, Ms Chand has lived in Sydney for more than 35 years.

Although she spent much of her working life as a corporate trainer and facilitator, her love for cooking and catering eventually led her to open her own restaurant.

“We are not just serving food, we’re sharing a culture, warmth and spirit of Fiji,” Ms Chand said in an interview in Sydney.

For Ms Chand, the restaurant is an opportunity to introduce people to the different flavours that make Fijian food special.

The menu brings together indigenous Fijian traditions with Indian, Chinese and other Pacific influences, reflecting the different cultures that have shaped Fiji’s food.

She said the restaurant served traditional dishes that she and others grew up eating in Fiji.

Her aim is to prepare familiar meals using authentic recipes while presenting them in a way that appeals to a wide range of customers.

She believes food can help people understand and appreciate cultures different from their own.

“Introducing Fijian cuisine and culture to the wider Australian community is extremely important to me because food is one of the most powerful ways to connect people,” she said.

“It allows us to share our history, traditions, and stories in a way that everyone can experience and appreciate.”

For many Fijians living in Australia, food is also a reminder of home, family gatherings and the meals they grew up enjoying.

Ms Chand said the restaurant had received strong support from the Fijian community in Sydney and from people of Fijian descent around the world.

Some have travelled to the restaurant to enjoy the food and reconnect with memories of their motherland.

She described the support as an immense source of patriotic pride, particularly when fellow Fijians told her how happy they were to see their culture represented through the restaurant.

The response has also encouraged her to continue sharing Fijian food with customers from different ethnic backgrounds.

She said hospitality was at the heart of the business, with every customer welcomed as though they were visiting a Fijian home.

“In Fiji, everyone is welcomed like family and that’s exactly how we want every guest to feel when they walk through our doors.

“We want people to leave with more than just a great meal, we want them to leave with a memorable experience.”

The restaurant’s cultural connection is also reflected in its workforce.

More than 80 per cent of the team have a Fijian cultural connection or background.

She said she was also open to giving people from other backgrounds an opportunity to work at the restaurant.

One of her proudest achievements has been creating a place where people can come together, enjoy Fijian-inspired food and learn more about the country’s culture.

She said the pride shown by fellow Fijians had been particularly rewarding, with many telling her they were happy to have a place they could share with friends from other cultures.

“They all tell us how proud they are of our place and how they feel proud to share it with the other cultures of Sydney.”

For her, that support shows the importance of having a business that represents more than its products and services.

The Spice Plantation has become a way for her to share her story and her background with the community she has lived in for more than three decades.

While introducing Fijian food to a wider audience has been an important part of the journey, she also wants to ensure the restaurant remains true to its original purpose.

Her focus is on continuing to grow the business without losing the values that inspired her to open its doors.

For her, sharing Fijian food is a way of bringing people together, keeping cultural traditions alive and giving others an opportunity to experience a taste of the islands.

As The Spice Plantation moves into its second year of operation, Ms Chand said it was her hope that more and more Australians would discover the food and hospitality that had long been a part of life in Fiji.