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Catering to many tastes
By Ayesha Inoon
The pretty 12-year-old stands at the gates of a wealthy home, with a basket of freshly cooked food in her hands. Her feet are tired; she has been walking all day delivering the food prepared by her mother in their tiny one-roomed home that is shared by eight brothers and sisters.

The girl is Meheroon Rifaya, better known as Ruweena, who is today, a successful business woman running a catering establishment that boasts four outlets around the city, and in whose life both fate and an indomitable character have played a part.

Ruweena had to leave school at the age of 12 to help her widowed mother support their family. At 14, she managed to secure employment in a textile company and by fifteen she had had more than her fair share of proposals. What she did not notice was the growing interest of the wealthy young owner of the hardware store opposite where she worked. He came home to meet her mother and, against the wishes of his family, married Ruweena.

For the first time in her life, she was able to indulge in her hobby, cooking for pleasure. With a husband who loved to eat whatever she prepared, as well as the facilities to try out different dishes without worrying about the expense, she gradually became an expert in delicious fare. They went on to have five children, three girls and two boys.

Again, fate intervened, with the demise of her father-in-law, which caused a significant downfall in her husband’s business. With things not looking as rosy as before, Ruweena was determined to use her skills in a way that would help the family overcome this rough period and set about establishing a small catering business. Ruweena’s first deal was to supply lunch for a company where her nephew worked. From here, the orders started pouring in, and when her sister-in-law asked her to supply food for a stall at an exhibition at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre, even she was taken aback by the popularity of her snacks. Intrigued, she decided to open her own stall for the next exhibition, which was also very successful.

Today, Ruweena supplies both Arpico Super Centres at Dehiwala as well as Battaramulla, and the response has been extremely satisfying. She also has outlets opposite the British Council as well as at the APIIT institute, and hopes to open one in Kollupitiya on the first of September, where customers can order meals as well as snacks.

Ruweena named her enterprise after her five children, combining the first letters of each of their names, to come up with SAFNS, which she says, is meaningful to her because they are the reason that she embarked on this venture. All of them, as well as her sister, are involved in her work at present, with daughters Azma, Firoziya and Shahana in particular, enjoying being a part of this project.

Today, she is proud to say that her husband plays a large role in her business, which is their main source of income. Unashamed of her humble beginnings, Ruweena says it is that which has given her the courage and fortitude to undertake this enterprise, and make it a success.

“Anyone with two hands and the right attitude can do this,” Ruweena says, and she is a personification of her maxim, a contented mother and grandmother, running a thriving business of her own.

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