Growing up in poverty on the streets of Malaysia is no hindrance for Azalina Eusope to chart her success in San Francisco, United States.
The Malaysian-born is about to open a restaurant in Market Square, also known as Twitter Building among the locals. Azalina is also in the midst of setting up a 15,000-square foot kitchen for her catering operations.
As reported by sf.eater.com, the restaurant will be called ‘Azalina’s Malaysia’ with a casual and informal setting. The eatery will serve lunch, dinner and snacks. Malaysian staple food such as laksa and chicken curry also made the cut in her menu.
The fifth generation of mamak street food vendors, Azalina met her American husband in Penang while pushing a cart full of desserts. She left for the United States to escape poverty and build a new life but more challengers were up ahead.
Her humble beginning in culinary is pretty interesting. Cooking has taken her to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Australia and Tokyo before she arrived in San Francisco 10 years ago.
As fluent in language as adventure, Azalina speaks Tamil, Hindi, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Bahasa Malaysia, English, Japanese and and some Arabic.
“Four years ago I borrowed $500 to sell food at the farmer’s market. I woke my children up from sleep at 3am. We packed the car with all of my food.
“The first six weeks, nobody came and eat my food,” she said in a YouTube video produced by Mashable Originals.
Soon after, Andrew Knowlton from Bon Appetit magazine listed her food under the Top 10 Lunches at Farmers’ Market list. The endorsement boost Azalina's products and in a short span of time, her catering business took off.
What is her aim?
Azalina's intention is noble -- to have more people to get acquainted with mamak food and culture. That drive keeps her busy all day long.
“I love getting up as early as 3am and coming up to work. I sleep for two hours. If I’m lucky, it’s five hours. Saturday is my lucky day,” she said.
Even though her business has been progressive and growing fast but she does not measure success by being rich.
“I think about my dad and the day he passed away. We were so poor but thousands came to say goodbye to him. To me that is success.”
Syafique Shuib
Sun Jul 06 2014
Azalina wants more people to know about mamak food and culture. - Photo: YouTube/Mashable Originals
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