With the love for food and no formal training in cooking self-taught cook from Simon’s Town, Liza Valayadum, received tips from “aunties” as they cooked side by side.
In 2001 with their passion for cooking and serving the community, the Valayudum family started My Father’s House community kitchen, cooking for the homeless and vulnerable.
“My gran loved cooking and baking and I suppose this is where I get it from. She passed on at age 95 and I think she cooked until about 94 years of age, must be in the blood. Formal training is important, however, with passion, one can certainly climb new heights.
“We started small, a Saturday meeting with the homeless on the beach and a hearty meal after. This slowly started to grow in numbers. At first it was hard to win their trust but this improved as it became a regular thing. The homeless started joining us in church with our Wednesday, Friday and Sunday meetings and this was the beginning.”
At the same time the family started working with children from the Redhill informal settlement, providing meals and games.
“We worked with approximately 50 kids between the ages of five and 13. We uplifted them from Redhill and took them to the church building where we had fun interactions with them and taught them the basic fundamentals of life like respect, sharing, forgiveness.
“As time passed, our passion grew and we started to work with the destitute and poor in various areas of the province. Most programmes consisted of us feeding the homeless. We teamed up with various organisations and churches to feed and minister to the poor.”
When lockdown began during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the family cooked from home to feed around 450 children.
“We funded and cooked from home for 450 kids from Redhill and the homeless of Simon’s Town for a few months. This was because we were not equipped with a building. The CANs made sandwich packs that included boiled eggs, fruit and sweets. This was handed to the kids with the cooked meal.”
She added: “There is a common slogan used that you cannot teach a hungry child. This is also applicable to adults. Irrespective of the age of the person, their concentration is hampered when they are hungry.”
On Saturdays the family raised funds by selling meals to residents and friends of My Father’s House.
A year ago, they started their own catering company with recent professional catering events including weddings, funerals, as well as exciting smaller events.
“We cater for events from four to 4 000 and can provide a complete evening solution including waiters, and event planning.
“The business model is to raise up cooks who share the same vision, so that they could empower themselves to run their own franchise. The business will also need to sustain our own livelihood. For the past few years, our family has put their lives on hold to help others.
“We believe that we have what it takes to build a strong business.”
