Lala’s Fusion Kitchen/Lalanns Fusion Juice – She knows the way to your heart!

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“I want people to have an experience, regardless of where you are.” Alana Malden (Lead Chef at Lala’s Fusion Kitchen)

It has been a rough couple years for entrepreneur Chef Alana Malden, and while speaking with her about her budding business, I recognized two things: you have to have a strong belief in what you want to do, and you need great support systems to help you keep the faith.

As a community newspaper, we believe that our community has an undeniable amount of world-changing talent, and this talent needs to be fostered, and supported. Speaking with new business owners like Alana, allows us to showcase the type of entrepreneurial drive that exists in our community, and sharing stories like hers is important in creating confidence and drive in others who have thought about starting their own business. New businesses can be a huge benefit for the local economy, and with entrepreneurship education, support programs, and community engagement we can together cultivate entrepreneurship and small business success. Toronto Caribbean Newspaper is pleased to present to you, Lala’s Fusion Kitchen and Lalanns Fusion Juice.

What started off as a small buzz, turned into Alana Malden’s dream business. Like many popular chefs across the world, Alana’s cooking started off as a hobby. “I truly enjoy infusing different flavours around the world to appeal to the taste palette. I use Indian, Italian, East Asian and incorporate the foods from different backgrounds to entice the taste buds, but I always keep the Caribbean flare.”

She decided to take her flare for food and offer a service unlike other catering services. Lala’s Fusion Kitchen would set a menu that people could pre-order from, and then she would prepare the meals and deliver them to her clients. Her goal is to appeal to people who are on the go and may not have the time to always come home and cook. She also has had the opportunity to service larger events and gatherings.

The menu goes out on Tuesdays with what is going to be offered for that week. You can pre-order your meals for Thursday, Sunday and Monday. Looking at her menu list had my mouth watering: seafood pasta with Argentinian shrimp, fire-roasted red peppers and garlic, smothered in cheese sauce and served with garlic bread; grilled salmon, and you can choose your flavours from: jerk, herb crusted, garlic butter, lemon pepper, teriyaki, blackened, or Caribbean style; she even has breakfast specials on Sundays that include: ackee and salt fish, corn beef and cabbage, and her Ultimate Egg Sandwich.

Within her first few months of business, Alana saw that there was a need and an interest in her service. She also discovered the power of social media and has learned to utilize it strategically to promote her business. “Social media can really reach people if you use it the right way,” Alana tells me during our sit down. “After promoting on my Instagram for a while, people began to ask me to email them price lists. All of a sudden people were truly interested in what I was doing.”

Alana’s entrepreneurial spirit cannot be denied. To add to her budding catering business, Alana elected to go into business with her long-time friend Laureann Penaydo, after having an in-depth discussion with the owner of Sunrise. “I walked into Sunrise and spoke with the owner about my business. He shared with me the needs of his clients, and one thing that he pointed out was that there was a need for different juices. I spoke up right away and told him that I could make juices. Honestly, I had never made juices, but I was not going to give up on an opportunity that had been so beautifully laid out for me.”

She decided to give it a try, and the next Monday, she walked into Sunrise with 120 bottles of homemade juices. “I was juicing carrots till 4:00 in the morning,” Alana tells me. The long nights paid off because after the owner tasted her juices, he asked her if she would be able to do two more of his locations. Just like that Lalanns Fusion Juice was born, and it became the sister company to Lala’s Fusion Kitchen. News of the company’s juices caught wind, and her product was requested and then sold at three Willy’s Jerk locations, The Gospel Café, and Spotlight Caribbean Kitchen.

Alana and Laureann had to pause the business after Alana found out that her father had cancer. She has a very close relationship with him and caring for him took precedence over the business. Business slowed down, and things got hard, but she was rejuvenated when her partner registered her business for her as a Christmas present. It was a wonderful surprise, and a reminder that there were people who believed in her. “I am doing this for my dad. I don’ want him to worry about me. He has always been a stable force in my life, and I realized that I had to do something. There is no time to waste. My son just finished college, and I want to be an example for him. I have a lot to prove not only to my family, but also to myself. I have to knock this out the park.”

Alana had focused her attention back on to both of the businesses and has amped up her social media game. She has found success in attending business networking events and has a whole new plan that she is ready to role out this year. One fun aspect of the journey for her this year is the opportunity that she has been given to instruct cooking classes in the Food District at Square One. “There are other cooking classes offered featuring cooking from all over the world, but one thing that they do not have is a Caribbean cooking class. This is where I come in. There are some administrative tasks that need to be dealt with, but I am looking forward to working within the community teaching about my passion.”

You can learn more about Lala’s Fusion Kitchen by checking her out on Instagram @lalasfusionkitchen. If you are interested in ordering an individual meal, or planning an event, you can send her a  message via DM Instagram, call the business line at  647-793-7234, or email lalasfusionkitchen@gmail.com.

“When people believe in you, there is success in that”