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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 Castellanos always liked to be in the kitchen, but social pressures prevented her from pursuing a career in hospitality. Instead, she studied information technology before moving to Australia in the hope of finding a job. Ironically, the move made it possible for her to finally get into the business of food. “I didn’t know much English at the time, 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 what, I’m going to forget about it for a while and focus on my English’.” Along with her now business partners Alberto Ferreira and Andres Rodriguez, Castellanos would make arepas (maize pancakes) for friends. “The feedback was so positive, so we started talking about selling them.”
The trio took their product to markets and would watch people’s reactions to their food. “We started with a small market stall for a year and did some bigger festivals in the middle,” says Castellanos. “The reaction was always great.”
It was the motivation Castellanos needed to chase her dream career. “It motivated all of us to keep going. We got to the point where we had so many festivals as well as [pop-ups at] breweries in the Inner West at Young Henrys, Grifter, Batch and Sauce.”
Realising how much they were spending on renting a commercial kitchen, Castellanos, Ferreira and Rodriguez decided to find a permanent venue. They 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’.”
Kysbel Castellanos
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 to choose from as well as the option for diners to create their own, the Arepa Oz team decided against the DIY concept in an attempt to keep things simple for the unfamiliar Australian audience. “We thought about doing it like a poke shop — choose the base then protein then the rest, says Castellanos. “But we realised we’re not in Venezuela, so we have to promote arepas first then we can play around.”
Arepa dough
Systems also needed to be optimised for the business’ diverse portfolio — Arepa Oz continues to participate in the festival circuit, make regular appearances at local breweries and offer catering services. “We need to systemise everything so it works perfectly even when we’re not there,” says Castellanos. “The consistency of the food is something we’ve worked hard to achieve in the kitchen.”
Beyond getting the fit out right, the team went to great lengths to create a menu that is approachable for Australians and familiar to Latin Americans. “The bread itself is exactly like we eat everyday back home,” says Castellanos.
Where Arepa diverges from tradition is when it comes to fillings. “We wanted a restaurant that Australians feel comfortable coming to,” says Castellanos. “But there are a lot of Latins in Sydney and we wanted to offer them what we eat at home. The pulled pork is Australian, but other things are very traditional such as the black bean and chicken recipes, which taste like home.”
The mission has kept the team going despite obstacles, such as sourcing authentic ingredients including black beans and the flour needed to make arepas. “When we started, it was hard to find the beans,” says Castellanos. “We found them, but when we cooked them, they didn’t turn out how we wanted. We had to try different suppliers until we found the one that was perfect for our recipe.”
Once the right supplier was found, it became easier for Arepa Oz’s chef to make food that satisfied the desire for authenticity. “The chef has created a mix of spices that tastes like home,” says Castellanos.
Fresh cheeses found in Venezuela and Colombia simply can’t be produced in Australia due to food safety laws, so the team has to make do with substitutes such as feta. “There are heaps of cheeses that don’t exist in Australia,” says Castellanos. “We have a very salty cheese that we grate [in Venezuela]. Feta is the most similar, but it’s not the same. You need raw milk to get the right consistency, so by law, we can’t sell it here.”
New to the industry, and relatively new to the country, Castellanos has made it her personal mission to be part of the local hospitality community by attending events run by Drinks with Chefs and Women in Hospitality. “I try to socialise with people in the industry through events … there is so much to learn,” she says. The same attitude is reflected in Castellanos and co’s approach to operating Arepa Oz. “For us, it’s not just a restaurant — it’s a family.” ■
ALL THINGS AREPAS - Arepas are a South American bread made from corn flour. Originating in Venezuela and Colombia, they’re eaten daily with most, if not all meals. “The flour is corn flour, but it’s processed and cooked in a certain way — it’s not the type of corn flour you can find in a supermarket,” says Castellanos. “There’s only one supplier in Australia.” The flour is mixed with water and salt, with starch from the corn flour acting as an adhesive. In Venezuela, everyone buys the flour and makes the dough at home. “You can leave the dough in the fridge for 1.5 weeks, but we don’t let it sit for more than three days because the flavour changes,” says Castellanos. The gluten-free, unleavened dough is rolled into balls and flattened before being grilled, baked or fried. “They’re crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside,” saysCastellanos. “For me, it’s the best combination.”
