Name         : Alphonso

 

Hometown :  Moura, Portugal. Now Colombo ok?

 

Birthday   :  Sometime in January  

 

School       : Local Village School.

 

Idols          :  Anyone who has made it from scratch! 

 

Passions    : Cooking and more cooking.

 

Favourite Colours : Mustard and Turmeric.  

 

 

Favourite Cartoon : We didn’t have television in our village back then. 

 

What made you visit Sri Lanka? 

I was on a spice-collecting mission around the world, fell in love with this beautiful island and never went back! 

 

What made you love cooking? I guess it was all that time spent in the kitchen as a boy.

 

Whose recipes do you follow? My Nana’s. 

 

How do you handle stress in the kitchen? With a pinch of salt or if angry a PAN!

 

How were you in school? An angel! 

 

What was your thinking behind your shop in Col 2 and would you open more branches?

 

Had to start somewhere noh, and very nice working people in that area who need a paka lunch, so that’s why! Start another one?? My God! Can’t even cope with this one men! Maara tiring! 

 

Someone you miss the most from childhood? 

 

My dog, had to keep the fellow back as the captain refused to put him on the ship! 

 

Are you usually late, early or right on time? 

 

Very early! Getting up at 4.45 in the morning noh!

 

What is the first thing you do when you get up in the morning? 

 

Yawn and tell my prayers!

 

Name one curry you enjoy cooking? 

 

‘isspicy’ coriander prawn curry!!!

 

Have you been to Chagall to cut your hair? 

 

I go to the local barber men.. few hairs noh!

 

 

 

 

Explain the name Currymuch? Lot of curry so, CURRY AND MUCH! Much Curry, CURRYMUCH? 

 

Which song best fits your image and why? 

 

The Candy Man by Sammy Davis Jr, I imagine “The Curry Man” ok?? Hearing that song used to make me very happy as a young boy! 

 

“Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh

Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie

The Candy Man, the Candy Man can

The Candy Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good”

 

You call yourself a spice expert, tell me more about this?

 

Aiyoo!! Who said ah?? 

I DON’T call myself a spice expert!  I left Portugal on an adventure around the world to learn about spices! I keep learning everyday, from the wonderful kind folk who are the true professionals! 

“Chep Koluu’s” has been a wonderful inspiration and is always and ever willing to lend a hand and a pan!  

 

 

If... 

 

If you woke up one day looking like Stefan Andre. You will?

 

Go on a diet but I think I already look like him a bit noh? 

 

If you could only use one vegetable to cook for the rest of your life, you will pick? 

 

Potato! I love potato that’s why I look like that a bit! 

 

If you could get yourself anything, what would you get? 

 

My own organic farm! 

 

If you talk in your sleep what would you say? 

 

NOM NOM! 

 

If you could trade lives with anyone for a day who would it be and why? 

 

I wouldn’t .. I love being Alphonso!

 

 

 

In the Spot

 

 

What would you cook for the president? 

 

A superb rice and curry using my Nana’s recipes as I think he has had almost everything except lunch from CURRYMUCH! 

 

What are your thoughts on the Halal issue? 

 

Aiyo, what a mess men? Each to his own I say! People have too much time on their hands because they work so little. If you are like me getting up at 4.45 in the morning, you are lucky if you have time to eat let alone worry about what others are eating! 

 

Explain that bright pink scarf around your neck? 

 

I like colour! It’s the spice of life! All Big Time Chefs wear white so since I never went to culinary school I decided to wear a colour that used to always excite me as a boy! 

 

Which of the presidents is your favourite? 

 

Whichever visits me at CURRYMUCH first! 

 

 

 

Fun…

 

What is the most interesting thing you have had in your mouth? 

 

I came home inebriated one day and swallowed a button thinking it was a Panadol! It well beats the piece of sunlight soap I bit thinking that if it looked like cheese; it had to taste like it as well!  

 

What is the meanest thing you’ve ever said to someone?

 

I think I told you that even your arms had become fat.. you keep reminding me and I feel bad!  

 

What is your lifelong dream?

 

To take Sri Lankan food to the world and to show them that Sri Lankan food is so very very different to Indian curry! So much more flavour, depth and texture to the tastes.

 

Have you ever tried to do something you know you would be really bad at, what was it?

 

Never tried anything I was bad at! 

 

On a scale of 1 to 10 how “cool” are you?

 

Always “hot” .. in the kitchen noh men? 

 

Where do you shop at the most?

 

Aarthika Pola in Kirimandala Mawatha.

 

What is your least favourite beverage?

 

Boring water!

 

What was your favourite book growing up?

 

Noddy!

 

Do you have any basic principals to Currymuch? 

 

1. Yes, all produce is bought from the economic centres, so it benefits both the grower and the client instead of the big co-operations in between. Sin noh men.. they work maara hard! 

 

2. Food has to be cooked daily and priced very fairly, times are hard.  

 

3. To home grow a simple product, which we crave for on a daily basis, like Pol sambal and paan. 

 

4. To create more job opportunities though the CREATIVITY of a product.

 

5. At CURRYMUCH we refuse to promote any imported food product when you get everything locally that WE like! 

 

 

Has anyone been negative or positive towards you or Currymuch?

 

Lot of support form lots of lovely people and also the media because they understood what we are trying to do. But there was one clown who tried to start fight on facebook over a chicken satay.. Aiyoo.. tried telling him that we only want to sell boneless and skin free in the lunch packs but he was insisting on a piece! What to do men, some want to fight over 200 bucks also noh?