Have you ever noticed that one of the easiest ways to communicate with people is through food (or beverages for that matter)? How many of us made our first friend after sharing a toffee in the playground? How many of us found our first girlfriend using the famous pick-up line “can I buy you a drink?” And then there are those of us who have memories of 10-15 people sharing one “buth packet”. Food therefore always has, always is and always will be an integral part of our lives.
So much so that some of us never quite give up on being a “Foodie”. And that is the best way to describe the two people who started Foodies Sri Lanka. Sanura Gunawardana has travelled extensively as the grandson of the former Air Force Commander, throughout his years at Royal College and later on during his career. Having lived and worked on the African continent, and been a part of the World Peace Boat also gave him perspective in to cuisines from the four corners of the globe. Small wonder then that his life goals included trying out food from every country on the map!
Then there’s Nishu Hassim, who grew up in a home where love equals feeding people and chocolate was a staple. Much heartbreak was healed with a tub of mint chocolate chip ice-cream eaten in a single setting. Then there was the all-you-can eat pizza challenges where no boy would dare break her record of 17 slices! But not only did she eat, she also wrote. With a skill honed by Methodist College and subsequent stints in the print media this “Foodie” was gifted with an overactive imagination and the ability to convert thoughts in to words.
If you were to ask Sanura what he first liked about Nishu, he would tell you that it was her “Chocolate Biscuit Pudding”. To-date he claims he is still to come across a better one! Together they began their food adventure in a simple way of going out and trying all the new places that seemed to be popping up in Colombo on a daily basis. Before they knew it there little “private” dates now had a few added “wheels” who also wanted to tag along and try out the new place in town. Eventually the group began to grow, so much so that a few places actually refused to let them in!
“I love food and it was great to have found someone who was equally capable and not afraid to try new things in Nishu. So after church or young adult’s meetings we would pick random places to go and eat. We would post pictures on Facebook and stuff, and realized that eventually people wanted to come along with us. There’s nothing more fun than trying out food in a group and soon enough our little group became quite a big one”, says Sanura of how it all started.
Eventually the couple created a WhatsApp group which would allow them to tell friends who were now followers about new restaurants, great deals and food promotions that were happening. Running a successful Public Relations company together, they soon realized that there work also revolved around a lot of food as their clientele included many hotels, resorts, restaurants, cafés and FMCG clients.
“There were days that I would write an article about a new menu for one restaurant, go interview a chef from another hotel, and come back and disseminate a press release on a food promotion. Our lives were so full of food that even my desktop images were of food!” laughs Nishu.
It was during this time that Sanura also got involved in the Colombo Food Festival partnering with the organizers of the street food carnival at the Vihara Maha Devi Amphitheatre. Putting their collective experience of eating and writing together they formed “Foodies Sri Lanka” in mid-2016.
“We realized that there was so much of demand for food in Colombo specifically and despite being spoilt for choice, people are most often clueless about where to go and what to eat. What we want to do with Foodies is give people an option of sharing our experience and helping them decide. We came up with a rating scheme based on international food blogging sites and also look in to things that matter to people like if a restaurant is family friendly and has toddler seating for instance. So it’s not all about the food but more about the experience”, says Sanura.
Nishu adds, “By no means have we copied anyone and we’ve had our share of naysayers as well who’ve told us we’re unprofessional to take our kids for reviews etc, but at the end of the day 3000+ GENUINE fans on Facebook and 1,000+ followers on Instagram tell us that we’ve got something good going. The difference is that Foodies is not a business for us and we do it out of pure passion for food”.
Today, the Foodies Sri Lanka team has grown to include a bunch of “foodies” who love what they do as much as they love what they eat. Establishments around Colombo are visited, reviewed (check for the Foodies sticker the next time you visit an outlet), and then rated on Facebook and Instagram.
“#FoodiesSL is now a brand that everyone identifies with. We’ve gotten involved in street food promotions like EAT St. CMB and we go beyond just a review by doing video reviews at launches, unique food photography and so much more”, says Suren Nimalan, the resident food photographer at Foodies who also happens to be the team’s personal trainer and nutritionist ensuring that all that food doesn’t make them fat!
With increasing demand for more and more food related content, Foodies Sri Lanka will launch their website in the near future. Find and follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay updated on the latest food happenings in Sri Lanka and around the world.