In the face of a pandemic, two chefs have taken their passion for food and love for their culture to start up businesses out of their homes.
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Maria Vicencio was a chef in Chile, and her favourite food to cook (and eat) was paella. When she moved to Wagga with her husband, she was shocked to find the dish was rarely available in the city.
So with the help of her mother, who was visiting, Ms Vicencio decided to chase the dream she always wanted - starting her own business.
"After my second baby was born and with COVID, I found it difficult to find a job," she said.
"So I said 'that's it, this is my time' and I decided to start my business.
"We are now a council-approved kitchen, and I have two big burners that I use."
Ms Vicencio the way she has set up her business is that people can call (at least 24 hours prior) to order paella whether for a dinner or event.
"It's only one Maria, but I cook with both burners at the same time," she said.
"I am fully booked a lot of the time. I feel super happy to be cooking as it is my passion."
A bonus to working from home, Ms Vicencio said, is being able to raise her children at the same time.
"I have a seven-month-old, and a three-year-old and my idea was to open this business to develop myself but also give me time to spend at home to see my kids grow up," she said.
"I am so grateful to my mum, who pushed me to start this and has supported me in the past few months."
Ms Vicencio is not the only person to start a business out of their kitchen this year.
Gabriele Rota has been living in Australia for three years, but recently settled down to live in Wagga.
"It is something that us Italians do with our family from when we are little," Mr Rota said.
"My mum would make a lot of pesto and sauces so I would copy her way to make them and brought it here to Australia. I just love doing it."
When the pandemic hit, the 23-year-old decided he would use the time to perfect his passion.
At the moment, Mr Rota is making the pasta and sauces out of his home kitchen after going through all the necessary approval processes.
He started selling his products at the local market as well as completing takeaway and delivery orders.
But, Mr Rota has bigger dreams.
"Hopefully I can open something a bit bigger so I can start delivering to everyone in Wagga, so no one misses out," he said.
"I want to open a store where people can come in and buy pasta, whether fresh, frozen or dried.
"I used to be a cook back in Italy, but I did not love working in a restaurant."
Mr Rota said the feedback has been so positive so far and inspires him to make the best pasta he possibly can.
The secret, he added, is using the best quality produce available.
Both Mr Rota and Ms Vicencio said the support and feedback from Wagga has been fantastic, with their businesses doing even better than expected.