Ruby + Channa Serante | A-List Vendor Profile

February 28, 2020

Every member of the Senaratne Family is – or has been at one time – involved in the family mobile catering business, Journey Street Food. The husband and wife team employ their children to work alongside them in the kitchen and as servers for all the weddings they cater here on the Sunshine Coast.

The joy they share in the process of making and sharing food is abundantly clear in their dishes, which are as visually delightful as they are delicious. Their menus reflect their love of travel and adventure, with loads of flavour, colour and fun.

Ruby has been so kind as to share some of hers and her husband Channa’s food journey, and local Sunshine Coast secrets with us today…

Ruby, what’s your background with food?

We have worked with food for years, from Channa being a partner in an upmarket Indian restaurant, to having a cafe and a surf charter boat in Indonesia. We have also travelled (and eaten!) extensively informing our multicultural menu.

Share something interesting most people don’t know about you.

We spent 15 years living in Indonesia. Five of them on a surf charter boat from which we ran a programme called Holidays with Purpose, where our guests would spend part of each day helping out in community development projects on the islands off the coast of Nias post 2004 tsunami and earthquake.

You have a completely free day to hang out on the Sunshine Coast. Get out about! Where are you going, what are you doing and who are you with?

Channa is surfing! Usually at Stumer Creek in Coolum with our two boarder collies waiting for him in the sand dunes. I love First Bay, also in Coolum. I can easily spend the day with a good book under the pandanus trees, taking the occasional dip in the ocean when it get too hot, while our 8-year-old, Rohani plays in the rock pools.

Take me through your catering process.

During the week we are in the kitchen prepping with our 16-year-old son, Sunny, who is also our apprentice. We make everything from scratch – all of our sauces, spring rolls, samosa etc. We spend the morning of a wedding finishing fresh food prep in the kitchen, packing up and then setting up our gazebo onsite at the wedding location.

Channa sets up the kitchen equipment, and I usually arrive a bit later with the food. I make the stall look pretty and get all of the serving dishes ready. I love to use my parents’ handmade pottery wherever possible. Our daughter, Mahlia, and her gorgeous girlfriends arrive in time for service. They enjoy making little flower arrangements on the serving dishes and garnishing everything to look beautiful. There is alway lots of laughter, and often singing and dancing in our little kitchen… They also love being inspired by each bride planning their own weddings!