We visited Nilomi Kurukulasooriya, the baker behind Foodie Colombo on a Saturday when she was preparing for the Colombo Food Festival the following day. She was extremely friendly and invited us into her lovely home in Nugegoda. She took time off her busy day to speak to us. 

She started her home baking business 4 years ago. She spoke to us quite openly about how it came to be. “Before I got married I worked at Nestle. I really loved my job. But it was too demanding and after I had my kids everything changed. Cooking is something I really enjoyed from the time I was a kid. So I simply started a Facebook page and posted photographs of the food I made. And now I get so many orders that I can’t keep up with them!” 

She remembers how only at the age of 8 she would make the Marshmallow Cream Pudding by herself and by the age of 10 she perfected a Tandoori Chicken dish that was loved by all. She is grateful to her parents for giving her the freedom to cook and try out recipes. She fondly remembers how her father would always take the baking trays out of the oven for her as she was too little to take them out herself. On the contrary “I chase my kids out of the kitchen, afraid they will burn themselves!” 

She has always loved to cook and has been cooking for her family since she was a kid. But surprisingly she said her school friends didn’t know that she was a decent cook! “If there were any bake sales in school I only volunteered to bring hotdogs.” But at home she used to always try out recipes from Anita Dickman’s cookbook that belonged to her mother. “I make alterations and keep changing the recipe until I am happy with the outcome. All the recipes are tried and tested. And now my mother is asking me for my chocolate cake recipe!” 

She served us a piece of her Chocolate Cheesecake and oh my goodness! Let me first tell you that I am generally not a fan of the combination of chocolate and cheesecake (I prefer a fruity topping) but this cake changed my life! It was an overdose of mouthwatering chocolate goodness with a perfect chocolate fudge cake combined with a chocolate cream cheese filling and topped with a chocolate ganache. She is yet to determine the price of this heavenly cake. 

She had prepared a Red Velvet Cake (1kg with Cream Cheese topping = Rs.1700 and 1kg with Butter Cream topping = Rs.1500), Chocolate Fudge Cake (1kg = Rs.1900) and a Brownie Butter Cake (1kg = Rs.1600) to sell at her stall. But we were unable to taste them as she had to send the whole cake. But I am sure they are equally delicious! 

She even makes party platters filled with savoury items. And she makes pastries and short eats as well. She said that she hasn’t been able to in the recent past as her kids occupy most of her time. But she is determined to get back to them soon. She then served us with a refreshing glass of blackcurrant iced tea, which was really refreshing. She also makes beverages to accompany the food. 

"Christmas is the busiest time for me. I even make lasagnas, rice dishes, and beef roasts. And these dishes are in high demand during that time. And since the kids are on holiday it gives me a lot of time to take on orders." 

Most of her clients who come once to her for an order always end up coming back and this has provided Nilomi with several regulars that she simply can’t say no to regardless of how busy she is. "But when placing an order I prefer at least 24 hours notice. Some dishes are impossible to finish overnight. Earlier the better actually," she stressed. 

The next time you are having a party or simply want to indulge in some heavenly goodies contact Nilomi on 0773842330. You can also visit her Facebook page Foodie Colombo for more details. 

By Jithendri Gomes 
Photographs by Samantha Perera