A passion for the gourmet kitchen
AFTER three decades as a cook, Julie Naidoo has not lost her passion for what she does best.
Spending over 10 hours a day in the kitchen, cooking up delicious, authentic Indian and gourmet dishes, Naidoo has customers at the Independent Café at the Independent Media offices in Durban returning for more.
She said her love for cooking stemmed from watching her parents, specifically her father, in the kitchen.
“My dad and mom used to put these delicious traditional meals together, such as mutton curry, roti with braised yellow potato or fish breyani. As I grew older, I realised I also wanted to have the joy they shared and developed the same love for cooking.”
She added: “Many people would describe cooking as a tedious chore but for me it is a form of expression of oneself.
“It is not about just throwing all the ingredients in the pot, but it involves an effort to get the flavours perfect. I cook up to 10 different recipes a day, Indian and English meals, as not everyone has the same palette.”
The mother of three said she got married at a young age and was a stay-at-home mom for many years.
After her children started schooling, she felt it was time to enter the working world and help her husband financially.
“I always felt a woman should not waste her life away. A woman needs to be and feel empowered and the best way is to do what one loves, no matter what type of career it is.”
She said her husband was encouraging and supported her decision.
“I acquired a job as a cook at our local Spar deli, where I worked for over 25 years. It was through this job opportunity and the teamwork between my husband and myself that we were able to buy a piece of land, build our own house in Waterfall in Hillcrest and educate all of our children.”
Naidoo, who has four grandchildren, said that after a long day at work, she returned home to prepare supper for her husband and her family, who often visited her.
She unwinds with a cup of tea and her TV soapies.
However, she is always mentally planning the menu for the next day at work, she said.