Mamabombina, a delivery-only restaurant concept brought to life by Lina Khoun, started in the midst of the pandemic after she was no longer able to practice as a barber.
Khoun is an avid cook, often whipping up meals for family and friends and experimenting with new recipes and flavours. Thus, when faced with the reality of no longer being allowed to cut hair, falling back on her long-time love of food made perfect sense.
"I had been organizing private dinners with friends on the side for some years," said Khoun. "With the second lockdown, I knew I couldn't rely on the hope that restrictions would lift, so because I wasn't able to plan any dinners or events anymore, I thought I could pass the time with Mamabombina through Instagram."
Khoun runs a rotating weekly menu that is available for delivery every Friday. She notes that not working as a barber at Blood and Bandages Barbershop is what gives her the capacity take and deliver orders weekly.
Though not a cook by profession, Khoun has always been surrounded by talented folks within the hospitality industry, which helped to propel her into starting the online business.
"[I have] so many people I could consult with and give me tips on how my dinners and picnics would translate as a take-out or delivery service," she said. "I don't think I would have taken it seriously before all of this."
Khoun credits her mother and grandmother for instilling a love a cooking in her, saying that growing up, she spent a lot of time in the kitchen helping out after her day at school. Though she acknowledges disliking it as a kid, noting that all she wanted to do at that age was 'run around and climb trees', she has fond memories of her mom and grandma in the kitchen preparing food for her family, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends.
"Whoever could fit in the room it seemed like," she said.
Because of those deep-rooted memories, Khoun makes sure her dishes are never without Khmer charm. Khoun uses a vibrant curry paste called 'Khroeung,', a staple ingredient in Khmer food tradition, that she loves to cook with.
Khroeung is a traditional curry paste that is made using lemongrass, galangal, garlic, kaffir lime leaf and turmeric, which is what gives it its incredibly vibrant colour. This wickedly fragrant paste is typically made by pounding the ingredients in batches in a mortar and pestle and is used in a majority of Cambodian dishes.
"There's no way of avoiding your fingers turning yellow from all the turmeric you have to peel," she added.
By offering authentic Cambodian food in Downtown Toronto, Khoun has managed to tap into an untouched area of the food scene in the city.
"I love living downtown. It has so much to offer, but you can't get any Khmer cuisine anywhere here," said Khoun.
Luckily for us, Khmer food has made a stride in being accessible in Toronto thanks to Khoun. The project has been met with kind regards, and is something Khoun will continue to do, even when she returns to being a barber.
"Once we're able to get back in the shop, it'll probably only happen once or twice a month. Or as long as I have the time for it," she said. "I love pop-ups and taking any opportunity to collaborate with other people. That way I can do what I love in many different ways."
