Tastes of Unwatuna Self-taught Sri Lankan cook wins over foreigners

Sri Lankan lady Wasantha Hewage (Extreme right) of Unawatuna has made a name for herself as a talked about personality in the Sri Lankan culinary trade. Here she is conducting a cooking session for foreign tourists

Tourism in Sri Lanka is one of the largest income earners. The tourism trade also contributes hugely to the country by providing employment opportunities. The tourism industry of this island revolves around the presence of its ancient cities, places that promise scenic beauty, the sandy and sunny beaches, medical centres that offer cures through indigenous medicine and most importantly the island’s most favourite savoury dishes. 

Sri Lankans are known to savour each mouthful of authentic food that they chew and swallow. In this context, Sri Lankan lady Wasantha Hewage of Unawatuna has made a name for herself as a talked about name in the Sri Lankan culinary trade. 

Wasantha, a self-taught cook from Unawatuna, who specialises in Sri Lankan culinary, has opened a business to cater to tourists. Foreign tourists who frequent Galle, savour her local dishes. She has also managed to attract the limelight by having sessions to train foreign tourists to learn the art of Sri Lankan cooking and culinary secrets. Her sessions with foreign tourists, who are eager to learn Sri Lankan cuisine, have given her the opportunity to bring out the teacher in her. Great smiles and satisfied expressions on the faces of her foreign students are signs of a job ‘well done’; largely from a teacher’s perspective.  

She has named her business ‘Wasantha’s Restaurant’. This business entity has earned a reputation to be picked among the best 100 such restaurants in the world. There is more good news for her. Reviews by millions of Tripadvisor travelers place this restaurant in the top 10% worldwide. 

 “Tourism is one of the main foreign income earners of this country. Tourism offers a livelihood to millions of local families. People in villages earn some money by renting their tuk tuks, rooms and selling items which might interest foreign tourists. However, I wanted to open up a new field which is catering to and targeting tourists. I believe that the tourists should learn how to prepare Sri Lankan food themselves and enjoy them rather that enjoy food prepared by others,” said Wasantha. Probably she sees her satisfaction double because when these foreigners try preparing the dishes they fancy, they get the needed feedback from their guru who watches every move made by students in the kitchen. Another plus point when dealing with foreign tourists, who are present in the kitchen, is that they can see fresh stuff going into each dish that promises all the goodness and rich value of Sri Lankan products. Often, healthy eating habits start in the kitchen and Wasantha is a cook who knows to promote this culture with every opportunity that comes her way. 

“I also cater to tourists both local and foreign at my restaurant. My training sessions are enjoyable, as conveyed to me by my foreign students. Their interest shown to learn how to cook Sri Lankan cuisine is remarkable. They especially love the taste of our vegetables, yams and sweetmeats. And most importable what we offer as Sri Lankan food is palatable to them. Many foreign ladies who attend my cookery classes learn to prepare Sri Lankan meals pretty fast,” she added.