Sylvia Perera, Colombo Kitchen
Sylvia Perera
We talk to the head chef of Colombo Kitchen in Worcester Park and Putney
From Sri Lanka to South West London, Sylvia’s journey to chef and founder of Colombo Kitchen has been a patient one. Having studied at culinary school, she then put everything on hold while she looked after her four children.
She explains: “Cooking was always a passion for me. I came here from Sri Lanka, met my husband, and we went to Australia where I attended culinary school for three years. We came back here and by that time I had four children. They were my only concern then, I didn’t think about anything else. I wanted to let them to go on their journey first. After they all graduated and started their jobs, I told them, okay, this is my time to start something.”
Sylvia was then in her late fifties. She had been cooking for friends who kept encouraging her to start a restaurant. “I started by opening in Worcester Park. Despite the restaurant opening just before the pandemic, It was a success. And then last year I opened in Putney as well.”
When she first launched in Worcester Park, she wasn’t quite prepared for how successful it would be: “I just thought, I’ll give it a go, but I worked hard and the reputation grew, and that was all down to quality and good service.” The restaurants are known for dishes such as lamprais – with rice and curries baked in banana leaves, and their live hopper and kottu stations elevating the popular Sri Lankan street foods.
As well as a Highly Commended accolade in our Food & Culture Awards, Sylvia has also won a number of other awards recently: “2 star Great Taste Award” Guild of Fine Food 2024, “National Chef of the Year 2024” and “Surrey Chef of the Year” (Asian Restaurant Awards 2024), and Sri Lankan Restaurant of the Year 2023 (Asian Restaurant Awards 2023).
She says: “The industry is mostly male dominated. It’s difficult. You have to be hardworking, and have passion. For Chef of the Year, I was competing against 11 male colleagues. I was also 65 at the time.”
The secrets of her success? Sylvia describes having a good bond with her staff. “I treat them like my family, so they tend to stay with me.” But while she has a strong team, she insists on being hands-on across both restaurants. She and her husband will also go themselves to buy all their fresh ingredients daily.
She starts at 5am and will finish around 4pm. “When we first started the restaurant, we didn’t have lot of staff. So cooking, cleaning, most of the things, were done by me. I’d finish at 1am. Now I have staff, I can relax just a bit. But I still go and make most of the food for both restaurants.”
Having grown up in the coastal area of Negombo, many of Sylvia’s favourite dishes include fish and seafood and some of her recipes have been handed down to her through generations. “I don’t take shortcuts and still cook the same way my grandmother cooked. I prepare coconut the same way, I make my own roasted curry powder so that it is really fresh.” Any other secrets behind her dishes? “It is down to using the freshest ingredients, timing and I think that if you put your heart and mind into a dish, it will come out well.”
She has no regrets in embarking on her ambitions later in life. “My children have all done well, they have reached their goals and I am happy.” They also help her out with the business in areas such as social media.
Her ambition is to expand and open a restaurant in Central London. “I hope to inspire others, and to show that if you have the determination, just go for it.”
