Sylvia Perera
In every profession, there are skills that can be taught. We can learn techniques, follow recipes, study successful people and improve through experience. But there is one quality that no textbook, training course or mentor can truly give us: passion.
I have always believed that you can teach someone a recipe, but you cannot teach the passion that goes into it.
For me, that belief has been at the heart of Colombo Kitchen from the very beginning.
When I started Colombo Kitchen, I wanted to do much more than simply open another restaurant. I wanted to share the food, flavours and hospitality of Sri Lanka in a way that felt genuine. I wanted customers to experience the Sri Lankan food I grew up with, but also the warmth, generosity and care that are such an important part of our culture.
A recipe can tell you which ingredients to use, how much spice to add and how long something should be cooked. But it cannot tell you how much you should care about the finished dish.
Two chefs can follow exactly the same recipe and still produce something completely different. One may simply complete the task, while the other thinks about every detail: the ingredients, the seasoning, the presentation and, most importantly, the person who is going to eat it.
That difference is passion.
At Colombo Kitchen, I have always tried to encourage our chefs and our wider team to understand that what we do is about much more than putting food on a plate. Every dish represents our restaurant, our culture and the standards we have worked hard to build.
The same applies to hospitality.
You can teach somebody how to take an order, carry a plate or use a restaurant system, but genuine hospitality comes from wanting people to feel welcome. It is noticing the customer who needs some extra attention, remembering a returning guest, taking pride in explaining a Sri Lankan dish or simply making someone feel looked after.
That cannot be achieved through a checklist alone.
This is also something I have learned through building Colombo Kitchen. Business skills can be learned. You can learn about costs, staffing, marketing, purchasing and restaurant operations. But when you run your own business, there will inevitably be difficult days. There are long hours, unexpected problems and moments when things do not go according to plan.
It is passion that gives you the determination to keep going.
For me, that passion comes from a genuine love of Sri Lankan food and hospitality and from seeing customers enjoy something that has been part of my own life and culture for so many years.
Passion is equally important in leadership.
As a leader, I do not believe you can expect people around you to care deeply about the business if they cannot see that commitment from you. Leadership is not simply telling people what to do. It is setting the standard through your own actions.
When your team sees you caring about the smallest details, speaking to customers, checking dishes, supporting staff and continually looking for ways to improve, it creates a culture where people understand that standards matter.
But passion by itself is not enough.
It must be supported by discipline, consistency and hard work. In the restaurant industry, you cannot provide an excellent experience one day and an average one the next. Customers expect the same quality every time they visit.
That means showing up with the same commitment even when you are tired, the restaurant is busy or circumstances are difficult.
Passion provides the energy, but consistency builds a reputation.
I also believe success does not always belong to the most talented person in the room. Very often, it belongs to the person who cares enough to keep learning.
Throughout my journey with Colombo Kitchen, I have continued to learn, adapt and improve. Every challenge, mistake, customer comment and new experience can teach you something if you are willing to listen.
Skills can be developed. Knowledge can be gained. Experience comes with time.
But the desire to keep improving has to come from within.
Whether you are cooking a Sri Lankan curry, welcoming a customer into a restaurant, managing a team or building a business, people can recognise when something has been done with heart.
At Colombo Kitchen, that is what I have always wanted people to experience.
You can teach someone the method. You can show them the process. You can give them the recipe.
But you cannot teach someone to truly care about what they are creating.
That passion has to come from within.
And when passion is combined with hard work, discipline and consistency, something ordinary can become extraordinary.
