A chef who was previously a contestant in the first season of Masterchef Malaysia is bringing her fresh authentic cuisine to Preston.
Anita Tahir-Parker from Johor Bahru, Malaysia, is opening her new stall opposite Adrian Livesey's Butchers at Preston Markets.
Opening this Saturday on November 28, Anita will be preparing an array dishes available for take away which have strong Southeast Asian flavours including a Rendang (Malaysian dry curry), chicken wings and spring rolls with vegan options also available.
She said: "I am so excited to be able to bring my business to Preston Markets and I'm so happy to be opening on Saturday.. I think this city needs more variety in its cuisine and I think people will welcome my delicious Malay food to take away. I focus on providing the best quality, fresh authentic Malaysian food."
Anita, 43, has good cooking in her genes and she was trained well by her mother, Hajjah Rahaini Ahmad, who managed two restaurants and a food stall in Labuan F.T, Malaysia where Anita used to help out as a teenager.
During her time here she acquired a vast knowledge of Malay cuisine and went on to cook professionally in Vietnam, Cambodia and Sweden and in 2011 became a contestant on the first ever season of Masterchef.
After moving to the UK in 2017 and spending some time in Liverpool, Anita moved to Preston and wished to bring her expertise to the area.
It wasn't an easy start however - after originally opening at Walker Street in November 2019, roadworks started about a week later on the roads to and from the Adelphi roundabout. This affected the traffic coming past Lapar, particularly during the winter period when fewer customers tended to want to venture out to order food.
Times got harder when Anita's father, Haji Mohd Tahir Endot, died just ten days before the first Covid-19 national lockdown in March 2020.
Low on funding, Anita scrambled to get money together to pay for a flight to back home to Malaysia however by the time she raised enough funds, the country closed its borders due to the worsening Covid-19 pandemic. Her premises at Walker Street closed due to lockdown and never re-opened.
The chef much prefers her new premises now however right in the centre of Preston town centre and she says she is happy to re-open in what she see as a more accessible, brighter, cleaner and more beautiful location.
She now runs the business with her husband Christian Parker-Orr who takes care of the paperwork.
Anita said: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? I almost gave up on the idea of opening my own cuisine as 2020 has been so tough, not just for me but for everyone.
"I don't want to just use this year as an excuse however and I think it's important for me and everybody right now to remain positive. There was something in me that after everything couldn't quite give up on my dream and somehow I've managed to do it.
"I'm really looking forward to opening at the weekend and meeting my new customers. Any purchase made on the 28 and 30 November over £5 will get a free portion of mini vegetable spring rolls to say thank you for shopping local and supporting me in my new location."
Lapar Malaysian Cuisine will open at Preston Markets on Saturday (November 28) from 10am to 4pm. The opening hours will then be Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm until further notice.
To find out more, please visit https://www.lapar-preston.co.uk/.
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