Devonport mum Lauren Lulu Taylor has shown how local friendships and community support can turn dreams into successful ventures. After creating a local food business she has now launched a cookbook Real Thai Cooking. Taylor describes herself as a "food-obsessed portrait and lifestyle photographer and marketing consultant from New York
City. She has lived in Devonport with husband Noah and three daughters, Cybella, Olivia, and Lila for the last 8 years.
"The last few years have completely reshaped my life and career. Pre-Covid, I worked in marketing, supporting the vibrant hospitality and events sector. But when the pandemic struck, I suddenly found myself jobless."
A serendipitous encounter with a fellow Devonport Primary mum, changed everything.
"One day during the pandemic, as she picked up her daughter from a playdate at my house, she proposed we start a food business together. "Both fuelled by our love for baking, we launched Secret Kiwi Kitchen, an artisan baking mix company, during Auckland's second lockdown."
Starting small, the pair sold support, their all-natural, easy one-bowl mixes to their neighbours and the wider North Shore community.
"But what unfolded next was beyond our wildest dreams. With an outpouring of local support our business skyrocket.
"Today, our award-winning products are in over 350 stores throughout New Zealand including New World, Briscoes and we are launching into Countdown stores next month.
Taylor's other lockdown passion, the cookbook "Real Thai Cooking" was born with a chance encounter with another mum. Chawadee "Chow" Naulkair, a talented Thai food blogger's daughter attended St Cuthbert's alongside Taylor's eldest daughter, Cybella.
"A simple invitation to our Thanksgiving dinner while Chow was visiting Auckland from Bangkok set ablaze our shared culinary passion. From that fateful gathering, the idea of coauthoring a cookbook consumed us.
"Chow's captivating writing skills breathed life into the essays, while I eagerly assisted with recipe development. The initial plan involved my visiting Chow in Thailand to capture photographs and to meet chefs and home cooks there. But with New Zealand's strict travel restrictions, I had no choice but to recreate Thailand and all the recipes in the cookbook in my kitchen in Devonport."
As the project progressed, Taylor says once again the Devonport community rallied behind her.
"Through the Devonport Facebook group, I connected with generous neighbours who lent authentic Thai mortars, pestles, and vibrant Thai silks to enhance the food photography and herbs like kefir lime leaf and lemongrass."
The result? A cookbook that transports the reader to the bustling streets of Bangkok, the lively markets of Chiang Mai, and the pristine shores of Phuket all while using easily sourced New Zealand ingredients.
The cookbook will be sold worldwide through publisher Tuttle.
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Editor’s note: This article has been lightly edited from its original version to protect the privacy of a former business partner.