BUSINESS PROFILE // Arepa Oz
Arepa Oz For Arepa Oz co-founder Kysbel Castellanos, bringing South American street food to Sydney is more than business — it’s personal. WORDS Madeline Woolway PHOTOGRAPHY Margaret Pahos BACK HOME IN Venezuela, Kysbel
The trio took their product to markets
Castellanos always liked to be in the
and would watch people’s reactions
her from pursuing a career in hospitality.
market stall for a year and did some bigger
kitchen, but social pressures prevented Instead, she studied information
technology before moving to Australia in the hope of finding a job. Ironically, the
to their food. “We started with a small
festivals in the middle,” says Castellanos. “The reaction was always great.”
It was the motivation Castellanos needed
move made it possible for her to finally get
to chase her dream career. “It motivated
“I didn’t know much English at the time,
where we had so many festivals as well as
into the business of food.
so I went to lots of interviews [for IT jobs] but I wasn’t confident in myself,” she says. “I was frustrated so I thought, ‘You know
all of us to keep going. We got to the point [pop-ups at] breweries in the Inner West at Young Henrys, Grifter, Batch and Sauce.” Realising how much they were
what, I’m going to forget about it for a
spending on renting a commercial kitchen,
with her now business partners Alberto
decided to find a permanent venue. They
while and focus on my English’.” Along
Ferreira and Andres Rodriguez, Castellanos would make arepas (maize pancakes) for
friends. “The feedback was so positive, so we started talking about selling them.” 16 | Hospitality
Castellanos, Ferreira and Rodriguez
started their search in October 2017,
finding the right space — a shopfront on
Sydney’s Enmore Road — in January 2018. “We love it, considering the price, size and
location,” says Castellanos. “We said, ‘If we don’t take it now, the opportunity won’t come again’.”
Working seven days a week, the trio took
four months to set up a space that mimics venues in Venezuela. “Like Australia has cafés, Venezuela has areperias,” says
Castellanos. “On every corner, you can find a place with a layout like this one. That’s why we did it this way.”
The shop has a small number of seats for
dine-in customers, with guests greeted by a counter displaying a variety of fillings. “You walk in, see the fillings and choose
whatever you want,” says Castellanos. “You can be on your way in five minutes or you can sit and eat in.”
While areperias in Venezuela will often
have a menu with 10 to 20 variations
