THREE years ago, Norherdawati Azizan, a kitchen crew at Malaysia Hall in London, the United Kingdom, returned home to Teloi Tua in Sik, Kedah, to attend her sister's wedding.
It was supposed to be a short break and Norherdawati, or popularly known as Mia Baqawali among her social media followers, was planning to return to the UK's lively capital after the nuptial celebrations were over.
However, things took an unexpected turn when the government implemented the Movement Control order and closed the country's borders in March 2020 following a spike in Covid-19 cases.
"I was at a loss. The only thing in my mind at that time was to return to London and continue working at Malaysia Hall," begins Norherdawati as she recalls the pain of suddenly losing her job.
She continues softly: "It was actually quite a depressing period as I did not know what to do in the kampung during the lockdown. Fortunately, I had my family and they were really supportive."
She did not expect that the pandemic would turn out as a blessing, when it set the Kedahan on a different career trajectory. Three months later, she found herself heaving a huge sigh of relief as the government decided to implement the Conditional Movement Control Order, which allowed selected economic activities to restart.
INSTANT HIT
"I had a discussion with my mother and younger siblings. We decided to sell pulut ayam (glutinous rice with chili chicken) from a makeshift stall in front of our house," she says with a smile.
Incidentally, pulut ayam is no stranger to Kedahans as the dish is also popular in south Thailand. However, selling pulut ayam in a rural village located along the trunk road between Sik and Baling district is a huge challenge.
"I was nervous but we decided to give it a try anyway. We started selling pulut ayam as take-away only since dining at stalls and restaurants was not permitted at that time," says Norherdawati.
Thankfully, their skill in using social media to gain followers and promote their rice was an enormous advantage.
Leveraging Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, the siblings were able to put their pulut ayam on the digital-scape, and their apprehension turned to delight when their product became an instant hit among the folk in Sik district.
Once the government began lifting movement restrictions in stages, customers started coming to her stall in droves, which she and her family called Warong Gadis Desa located opposite SK Teloi Tua.
Norherdawati says: "Alhamdulillah, as movement restrictions were lifted, we started getting more customers from outstation. From there, we decided to add more new dishes to cater for a diverse group of customers."
PLENTY TO SATISFY
Besides the famous pulut ayam, their signature dishes have now expanded to Thai laksa and nasi lemak berlado, which are the most popular among customers. In addition, Norherdawati is also serving a selection of Western dishes and mouth-watering desserts.
Knowing that people have been hard-hit by the pandemic, she and her family try to keep the prices of their food as kind to the wallet as possible.
Norherdawati's siblings also sell all sorts of beverages, from coffee to lai chi kang, to complement their dishes. Beaming, she shares proudly: "Many local folks have become our regular customers. In fact, people of all ages are frequenting our stall because the menu has something for everyone."
She continues: "We are also getting customers from all over Kedah and from as far as the Klang Valley, especially on weekends, public holidays and school breaks. We also have customers who drop by as they balik kampung or go north for a holiday."
According to Norherdawati, her five-year stint in Malaysia Hall's bustling kitchen has equipped her with invaluable skills and knowledge, particularly on how to run a kitchen efficiently.
Smiling, she recalls with enthusiasm: "I gained so much experience during my time at Malaysia Hall, especially in food preparation and management. More importantly, I also learnt interpersonal skills and how to have the confidence to interact with customers."
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS
Suffice to say, Norherdawati is earnest about ensuring that what she offers here at her stall is of the highest quality. "We want our customers to be happy with the dishes and leave our warong satisfied. We want them to return because of the promise of good food!"
Expression thoughtful, the enterprising proprietor adds that she's extremely grateful to be out of a job during the pandemic — and knowing how it feels like — as she is now able to create jobs for local youths. "The best part is that we are able to promote Sik to outsiders through our warong," she adds happily.
Asked on the story behind the name of her eatery Warong Gadis Desa, Norherdawati chuckles before replying that it's a nickname given to her by an Indonesian cook at Malaysia Hall.
"She always called me gadis desa. I thought it was a fun and cheeky name, so I decided to name my stall along the same line — Warong Gadis Desa," says Norherdawati, with a broad grin. Following her successful venture, the Kedahan confides that she is looking forward to expanding her business by setting up outlets in other places.
Concluding, she says softly: "Of course, it goes without saying that I do have dreams to expand the business and see more of my warong around the country. But it's important to come up with a sustainable business plan first so things can proceed smoothly."
For further information, visit gadisdesa.mq on Facebook, gadisdesa.mq on Instragram and TikTok.
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