IF variety is the spice of life, Minakshi and Sunil Shrimali have it in spades.
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The Indian-born couple have plied their foodie trade in Melbourne, outback Queensland and Lavington.
Having moved to Melbourne a decade ago for Mrs Shrimali to enhance her cookery skills, the couple and their son, Dhruv, were later posted to remote Richmond in Queensland.
Mrs Shrimali was head chef at Ammonite Inn for two-and-a-half-years.
“We were 482 kilometres from Townsville,” she said.
“We only had a milk bar and a little Woolies in town so we needed to go to Townsville for our big orders.”
Mrs Shrimali said they served Australian and Indian specialties at the inn, which gained a good reputation.
“Some locals came into town to eat once a week and stayed at the inn,” she said.
“It was better to drive 200 kilometres into town to eat with us than drive 482 kilometres out of town.”
Mr and Mrs Shrimali and Dhruv, now 14, gained their Australian citizenship at Richmond, which had never hosted a citizenship ceremony.
“We were allowed to invite two people each but 60 turned up to see what it was all about,” Mrs Shrimali said.
“The mayor said it wasn’t a ceremony, it had turned into a function. Luckily it was a big cake!”
Having moved to Lavington in late 2015, Mr and Mrs Shrimali founded M&S Caterers in May.
What's your favourite dish?
Indian rogan josh
What's your favourite season?
Summer
What are the staples in your pantry?
Lentils, rice, flour, spices, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, mustard seeds.
What is your earliest cooking memory?
I grew up aspiring to cook like my mum but I never listened to her, as I never liked to follow the recipes. I always put my own twist to recipes. I grew up in Baroda, it's a city in Gujarat, India.
Which ingredients do you grow yourself?
Chillies, curry leaves and coriander
Which six people would you invite to dinner?
Heston Blumenthal, Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Michelle Bridges, Hrithik Roshan (Bollywood actor) and my husband (Sunil).
What is your favourite foodie ritual?
Presenting food nicely, and taking a food pic!
What are you bingeing on TV?
SBS Food, MasterChef, My Kitchen Rules,Travel Guides.
What did you have for dinner last night?
What are you drinking at the moment?
Cranberry and pomegranate tea
Details:
Facebook: M & S Caterers
