Strapped musicians go from stage to kitchen – and now bazaar

Sharin who has been performing for decades has started his own home-cooked food delivery business with wife Hanny. (Sharin pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Dazzling guitarist Sharin whose pocket was severely hit by the pandemic has traded his guitar for the wok to tide over hard times.

A resilient Sharin has since last month made the kitchen his “stage”, experimenting with new ways to tickle taste buds with his wife, Hanny.

“Although music is my first love, the switch to the home-cooked food delivery business was necessary for survival,” said Sharin, 47.

On July 24, Sharin and Hanny will join some 20 musicians turned chefs at a food bazaar at the Hartamas Shopping Centre link bridge in Sri Hartamas.

It has been a different routine for Sharin these days, going marketing, preparing orders, and making food deliveries to homes and companies on his motorcycle.

Axman to delivery man: Sharin on one of his deliveries. (Sharin pic)

When the coronavirus infiltrated the music culture in March, Sharin busked online for three months to get by.

He needed a steady income and started his online food business, Sharin’s Kitchen, last month.

Just as Sharin lets rip some truly imperious lead guitar, he hopes to hit it big with his signature dish, “Lamb and Chicken Khabsa”, a recipe given to him by a Lebanese chef.

“I miss live gigs but am enjoying cooking and hope to take my business to another level.

“If we don’t plan, we fail. We shouldn’t sit back and wait for things to happen,” said Sharin, who hopes the live performance circuit will restart soon.

Another couple who will be at the bazaar is veteran keyboardist/guitarist Amizan Ariffin and his singer wife Kyra Neng.

They developed their own menus and started their home-cooked food delivery from scratch in April.

Three months on, the pair has broadened their customer base with regular orders for lunch and dinner and some outdoor catering.

Amizan and Kyra have steadfastly built their food business over the last three months. (Amizan Ariffin pic)

Amizan said from starting with Sambal Petai Ikan Bilis (petai anchovies) and Nasi Lemak, Kyra now cooks other Malaysian dishes and Chinese, Korean, and Italian treats.

“The next step is possibly to apply for a SME loan for an outdoor operation, be it a stall or a small restaurant.

“The passion to perform live is still strong but as we can’t see that happening soon, we will continue to grow our food business,” he said.

Bazaar organiser, Malik Hashim Abdullah, said the variety of food, mostly inspired by family recipes, will be “something to sing about”, adding that a durian stall will be another draw.

Musician and corporate man, Malik Abdullah, has set up a social enterprise to help struggling musicians. (Malik Abdullah pic)

Buskers will provide the entertainment daily during the week-long carnival from 10am-10pm.

Malik said the event showed that many musicians whose gigs were turned on its head when the movement control order came into force on March 15, strove hard to earn a living instead of depending on handouts.

“Many of them embraced their culinary passion with as much gusto as when they performed,” said Malik, a musician and co-founder of social enterprise Creative Pathfinders with Steven Hon.

He said the enterprise was set up to help communities adversely affected by the virus through its Brada Community Programme.

The scheme aims to help those who are interested in owning, operating, and building or expanding their own businesses.

He said it was crucial to refresh lives and remain productive during these testing times.

Malaysian Musicians Food Bazaar
Venue: Hartamas Shopping Centre (Link bridge to Plaza Damas 3)
Date: July 24-30
Time: 10am-10pm

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