Five minutes with Mia Suleman, AcTeaV8 NUTRITION

Who is Mia Suleman? I’m the co-owner of AcTeaV8 NUTRITION. I am a student who is also passionate about my community, and I love bringing new ideas to the table. If I have an idea, nine times out of 10, I’m going to make it happen and that’s the same with this business (AcTeaV8 NUTRITION). I was very passionate, so I went with it.

Best recent dining experience: It was a restaurant on a mountain in Bali that overlooked the beach. It had a nice sunset view and a mountain view behind it. It was great fine dining and probably my best dining experience.

Favourite cuisine: I would probably say Thai or Indian food.

What ingredient can I not live without: I cannot live without garlic.

Most embarrassing pantry item: That’s difficult. Most embarrassing … I do have a chocolate stash in the pantry. There’s quite an array of different types of chocolates.

How many Weet-Bix do I do: I used to as a child and I would do two with a little bit of sugar, but I don’t eat cereal anymore.

Best coffee spot in Wagga: Since having my energy teas, I haven’t had coffee in five months. I don’t need the caffeine anymore. The teas give me all the energy I need. I was a chronic coffee drinker and was having three coffees a day.

Next big thing in the Wagga food scene: Definitely AcTeaV8 NUTRITION. We are going to bring something big and new to Wagga.

Favourite place to lunch in Wagga: I really like to go to Uneke Lounge. Their food is really nice. But since I’m quite new to Wagga and have been busy with the business, I haven’t had much time to experience all the different places. I’ve only been in Wagga since February.

A must-try on our menu: A must-try would be the Wagga sunset tea and the Biscoff smoothie.

Most used ingredient at AcTeaV8: It will probably be our tea base. We have a base that has a bit of green tea in it and that would be used in all of our teas.

My biggest culinary influence: That’s a really good question. I loved watching MasterChef as a child but I don’t have a massive influence. I go with what I like, what feels nice and hope other people feel the same.

Favourite cookbook: For baking, I love a Mary Berry cookbook, but otherwise, I have one called Easy Thai Dishes.

Who I admire in the Wagga food and wine scene: I really like Glenn and Kaz from Le Brooks. They are very passionate about what they do. Kaz puts her love and her time into all the food that she makes. In everything she makes, you can tell she cares about what she puts out.

What are this week’s specials at AcTeaV8 NUTRITION: We will have monthly specials. We will change up our tea flavour and smoothie of the month and they won’t be on the menu. It will be an exclusive monthly flavour.

Death row meal: That’s really hard. My death row meal would be a big one. I would get pad thai, chocolate, butter chicken, naan, Sprite and maybe a bit of Chinese food. I love all my cuisine.

Where am I travelling to next: Hoping to go back to the UK and Europe at the end of the year.

Dream destination: India. I haven’t been and I have family from there. I really want to visit.

My biggest fear: My biggest fear is cockroaches and spiders.

My least favourite food: Fish pie. Very specific but I hate it. It is very British and it is just chunks of fish with potatoes. It’s like a cottage pie but with fish and cheese.

My top three cooking tips: Make everything with love. Keep adding flavour until it suits you. Don’t always go by the recipe and don’t be afraid to spice it up. You don’t have to go with what the recipe says.

AcTeaV8 NUTRITION is located at 17/56 Fitzmaurice Street, Australian Arcade, Wagga Wagga.

The store had a soft opening on Monday (29 May) and a grand opening yesterday (3 June).

For more details about the opening, follow the business on Instagram or Facebook.