"Kolam is a Sri Lankan nano canteen near Place de la République in Paris. Our main focus is to introduce Sri Lankan cuisine and culture to Europeans, addressing the underrepresentation of the South Asian diaspora in the local culinary scene. Many Sri Lankans work in back kitchens, but few own restaurants. My goal is to represent and introduce this unique cuisine to a wider audience.

We also have Kolam Studio, which produces merchandise and hosts events. For example, we collaborated with Adidas on a sneaker (Campus) release last year and have produced t-shirts, beanies, and wooden masks inspired by Sri Lankan culture. The name "Kolam" comes from a traditional Sri Lankan street opera where actors wear masks representing characters, including devils symbolizing sins. These performances are meant to atone for sins and cleanse spirits, reflecting the rich narrative and creative heritage of Sri Lanka.

Our concept at Kolam was inspired by this theatrical tradition. That's why we have an open kitchen, turning cooking into a spectacle where we are the actors. The food is authentic, based on what I grew up eating, but with slight adjustments in spices to suit our European clientele."

"The idea for Kolam came about after I moved out of my parents' house and started cooking for myself. I missed the authentic Sri Lankan flavors from my childhood and began sharing my home-cooked meals with friends. Their enthusiastic reactions made me realize the potential of sharing my culture through food. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I started Kolam as a delivery service with my dad, who is a chef.

I created an Instagram page called Kolam Studio, focusing on Sri Lankan culture through photos and videos. As the pandemic continued, my dad and I turned the page into a platform for our food delivery service. I took weekly orders, prepared meals with my dad, and delivered them by bicycle. Initially serving friends, the project grew rapidly.

About a month or two later, Adidas approached us for a collaboration, initially as a sponsorship but eventually as a sneaker collaboration for their Campus series. Kolam was selected to represent Paris among 11 cities worldwide. This collaboration helped us gain more visibility and solidify Kolam as a brand, not just a restaurant."

"I studied computing in Paris and later took courses in communication and digital marketing. Eventually, I landed a job at a creative agency called Biborg. At Biborg, I worked as an account manager and project manager for various clients, mainly in the entertainment sector, including Netflix, PlayStation, and Ubisoft. My main client was Bandai Namco, known for manga like One Piece, of which I am a huge fan. This job gave me a solid understanding of marketing. However, I had been contemplating the idea of Kolam for about eight or nine years, and eventually, I decided to pursue it."

"We put stuff on Instagram. But the thing is that people are communicating for us because they are posting stories and publications on Instagram. So that's how we started to communicate about our food. As you can see on my page, we are not putting up a lot of pictures because, for me, it's more about the universe around it. It's a kind of trick because when you see a nice picture of the food, you want to have the same thing, you know? And sometimes when you're at the restaurant, it's not the same as in the picture. You can compare it with McDonald's, for example. They have some super nice pictures, but in the end, it’s not the same. The picture is not that good. I don't want to disappoint the customers."

"I don't have good advice about opening a restaurant because it depends on your personality. But what I can advise is to take your time to build self-confidence and be sure about your vision. Because in the end, the vision, the project will grow with your vision. You need time to work on this vision because, in the end, that’s the thing that you keep alive with your project. It's important to be sure about yourself, to be confident, and to have enough experience to be okay with all the criticism and all the negative aspects you can have, because it's hard work. Honestly, if I can advise someone, do not open a restaurant."

"So, I know people are interested in the team behind Kolam. For the moment, there are: my father Prasanna (the restaurant's chef), Léna (my partner and right hand), Ravith (who works with me and helps with the development of Kolam Studio), and Jordan and Vanina for lunch/dinner service. My mother and sister also help me a lot with this project. So yeah, it’s a family business."