Natalie Raymond took advantage of everybody’s favourite local snack – achcharu – when she started selling her own recipes at the Achcharu Kade at the Good Market. At the end of 2014 she started up her own shop in Kollupitiya, where they do a classic achcharu, a very tasty healthy rice and curry, and a killer bombai muttai ice cream.
What a lot of customers may not know about Achcharu Kade Cafe is that it creates jobs. Natalie, who has enjoyed cooking since she was 14, has had a passion for moving street-side fruit vendors off the streets and into more sustainable employment. So Achcharu Kade has collection centers in Gampaha and Dambulla where fruit, vegetable and spice vendors can sell their goods (used for AK recipes) for a steady, monthly income. They’ve provided incomes to 42 families so far, all women-led.
