A story of love, food and entrepreneurship that started in a staff cafeteria, blossomed over a pandemic, and now serves as a testament to the power of family-run businesses is one that’s worth telling; the lived experience of Isimeli Raoma and Elizabeth Sawaki.
Isimeli and Elizabeth of NaMatavuvale Catering, or Izzy and Lizzy as they were once known, had worked in the hospitality industry for years and had met when they shared an employer.
“Izzy” manned the front desk at a hotel and “Lizzy” was its pastry chef when the COVID-19 pandemic shook up the industry, prompting them to start their own catering business from home.
The couple took cake and care package orders for those in quarantine at hotels and found they could make a living doing what they loved and bringing joy to their customers.
“People could order online for birthday cakes and all and we would take them down to the hotels and their staff would take then in,” Elizabeth said.
“So, for a while we’d never even seen them; we’d never seen our customers. So that was a weird funny thing about COVID.” After the international borders reopened, Elizabeth was offered a job at the Grand Pacific Hotel (GPH) and the family moved to Suva.
“We’d discussed that after she left GPH we would open up our own catering business,” Isimeli shared, ‘be our own bosses, be entrepreneurs.
So, we did USP’s Entrepreneurs Fair. And then we were lucky to be introduced to Mr Aslam Khan, who does business trainings for the Ministry of Trade, so we’ve been catering for them since April this year.”
Their passions reignited, the couple began attending business training workshops facilitated by MSME business trainer for the Ministry of Trade, Cooperatives, SMEs and Communications Mohammed Aslam Khan.
“We were attending business training with him and catering for it at the same time. We’re trying to get more markets, so Mr Khan is still pushing us too. You know, Mr Khan got us most of our clients. Just through word of mouth,” Elizabeth said. While Isimeli is also a food enthusiast and experienced home cook, Elizabeth taught her 18-year-old son Jovesa how to bake to help ease the load of their growing customer base.
“I was still working then, so the guys would do my sponge cakes and then when I’d knock off from work then I’d decorate,” she said.
“Then the client could come the next day and pick it up. So that’s how we started rolling. I taught them to bake because when I’d come from work, I’d be tired, and they were already there with the sponges. So, they’d bake, I’d deco, that’s it.”
“We’re the best teammates,” the couple agreed.
Managing NaMatavuvale Catering is now the family’s full time job and their primary income source, allowing them more control over their income and savings.
“When you just work, work, work, you just pay your bills and live week to week. When you do your own thing; that’s the secret. Our weekly pay was nowhere near what we can do now. Yes, some days are slow, but you don’t want to lose hope,” Elizabeth said.
“I want people to know that if they have the talent, they have the skill, they have the passion, anything can happen. If you know you’ve got it, go do it.”
The catering business that began with $50 worth of ingredients now serves hundreds of customers their favourite meals.
The family serves katalau in the mornings with the help of their younger children while Isimeli prepares lunches.
The business specialises in authentic Fijian food, and occasionally an Asian twist thanks to Isimeli’s love of mukbang videos.
With the success of NaMatavuvale Catering, the family is now making plans to open a Grill, expected to open within three years.
“At the moment we are renting but we are looking for a place to buy a piece of land,” Isimeli said.
“It’s much easier if you have land so you have a house and at the same time that location for our business. So, we’re planning somewhere along the Navua highway. Where people just come stop in, relax, have a barbeque or something and then take off again to where they’re going.” “It’s just passion.
“It’s just something that we like to do. I like to cook, he likes to cook, I love to bake, he loves to bake, so it just brought us together to do something that we love to do and know we can do it to make people happy,” Elizabeth said.
“When we feed people, see them eating, and then their eyes widen we know: yes, we did it!”
•NaMatavuvale Catering can be contacted at namatavuvalecatering@gmail.com or through their social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.
