RUNNING a restaurant in the busy Capital of Suva is not just about serving food; it is about serving people with a good heart.
A passion for cooking has kept 60-year old Chandra Singh working in the food business (kiosk) for almost two decades.
Ms Singh, also known as Sia to her customers, has been running her eatery at the Suva Municipal Market near the flower vendors since 2006.
She used to work as a supervisor for 12 years at one of the Government departments.
Originally from Savusavu, Vanua Levu, Ms Singh has lived in Nadera for the past 35 years.
She said her love for cooking inspired her to start her own food business.
“My hobby is cooking, so I wanted to run a small business,” she said.
Ms Singh serves a variety of dishes, including Fijian and Chinese food.
Among the Fijian dishes she prepares are rourou lamb, stew chicken, chicken soup and, at times, fish lolo.
She highlighted that chicken curry and rourou lamb remained popular among her customers. “A lot of people come and buy it.”
Her customers include market vendors as well as workers from nearby businesses, including banks and the Energy Fiji Ltd (EFL) staff. Ms Singh said business remained steady, although it was not as
good as it was in previous years.
“It depends on how you cook and how you run your business.”
However, high rental costs and competition from other food vendors were among the challenges she faced.
Ms Singh said she also allowed market vendors to buy food on credit, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
“They come early in the morning, and they don’t have money then, so I give them credit and, in the afternoons, I go and collect the money,” she said.
The business had become her main source of income and helps her pay household bills, rent and other expenses.
Ms Singh, who has three children and an adopted daughter, said she lives with one of her daughters.
Her other children are married and live overseas and in other parts of Fiji. Her son lives in New Zealand, one of her daughters lives in America, while the youngest daughter is a teacher in Sigatoka.
With 20 years in business behind her, Ms Singh said she planned to continue working for another three years before retiring.
“At this moment, I am just running the business for another two to three years and then I want to retire because I am 60 years old now,” she said.
In the meantime she will keep cooking with a good heart to ensure her customers are content.
