‘Food, it’s just love’ … Varsha Reddy, owner of Albury’s Kiss The Cook, in Volt Lane. Photo: Minerva Taylor.
The first thing that strikes you about Varsha Reddy’s little Indian cafe in Volt Lane, Albury is the vibrant artwork adorning the windows.
The colours and culture of her homeland are intrinsically linked to every element of Kiss The Cook, the venture she began several years ago, realising her dream to create accessible and authentic Indian cuisine made with love, fresh ingredients and home-ground spices.
It’s the sort of cooking that tells a story – of recipes shaped by family, culture and memories of home.
Now Varsha will be the first one to tell you that when she arrived in Australia from southern India more than 25 years ago to marry Vijay Reddy, she had very little idea of how to cook.
“It was a matter of how to survive and feed my kids,” laughs the now 44-year-old Varsha, whose children Rohan, 17, and Aanika, 12, are pretty great proof of the success of that endeavour!
At first, Varsha admits, she was constantly on the phone to her mum – a sublime cook – seeking guidance and recipes from afar.
But from that raw beginning, she began to enjoy the whole cooking caper, experimenting with her own style and flavours, and trying out the results at the many dinner parties the couple enjoy hosting for their Aussie friends.
So popular was her Indian fare, Varsha started a venture from home, offering takeaway meals to friends and family. Her kitchen was soon overrun with lipstick-sealed stickers on paper bags filled with her homemade offerings.
In 2023, Varsha officially moved Kiss The Cook from the kitchen of their Thurgoona home to a purpose-built premises in Volt Lane.
After a short hiatus to pursue other projects, she reopened the cafe in May with a streamlined breakfast, lunch and takeaway menu offering signature staples including butter chicken, goat vindaloo, samosas and a selection of naan. (This journalist can personally attest to the moreish-ness of her cheesy naan bread!)
There’s weekly and monthly specials (for July there’s a free samosa with every purchase) with the option to take away or dine in against the backdrop of those beautifully decorated windows.
Varsha says being in small business is absolutely a labour of love – but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Food, it’s just love,” she says. “It’s how we meet people, how we connect and open up.”
Region caught up with Varsha as part of our ‘Five Minutes with’ series.
Where did the name Kiss The Cook come from: My focus is food that tastes like a home-cooked meal with healthy and fresh ingredients – food so good you would want to kiss the cook!
Ingredients you can’t live without: Cumin and coriander.
Biggest culinary influence: My mum. When I go back to India (at least once a year), the thing I crave the most is her plain lentil dahl with steaming rice. What’s really interesting about my mum is she is a vegetarian and yet she cooks the most amazing chicken and lamb dishes, just by smell alone.
Signature dish: Butter chicken is the most sought-after dish but I’d ask people to try my coriander coconut chicken.
Best recent dining experience: Din Dins Albury (the fried chicken was really good).
Weirdest thing you’ve eaten: It was a really funky dish in Phuket that was supposedly made of chicken but if you asked me what was in it, I really couldn’t tell you. On the menu was every other creature imaginable – from frogs to scorpions and crickets – but I wasn’t brave enough to eat them!
Most embarrassing thing in your pantry: Sugar! Well, not the sugar as such, but I love sweets and occasionally I’ll just go in and eat a spoonful.
Favourite cuisine (apart from Indian): Mexican – it’s just so full of flavour. I love burritos and enchiladas.
Top cooking tip: Mum taught me to cook from the heart – if you’re not into it, don’t do it!
Hardest thing about being in small business: The overheads – expenses have just skyrocketed.
What do you love most about Australia and the Border community? It’s not a chaotic, rushed lifestyle; it’s a lot more slow-paced and you can talk to people.
Best coffee in town: I don’t drink coffee but I’ve heard really good things about (nearby) Sixpence Coffee. In my shop I get beans specially brought up from Melbourne.
You can find Kiss the Cook at Shop 16/11Volt Lane, Albury (open Monday to Fridays, 8 am – 4 pm). For details visit the Facebook page.
