When Tereise Maefia thought about starting her own business last year, she saw a market gap that she just had to fill.
Thousands of Pacific Islanders lived in Marlboro and worked for months and sometimes years under a recognized seasonal employer system, so they certainly have to crave traditional home-cooked food. did not.
And Maefia, a Samoan and mother of six, knew well how to cook Pacific Islands food.
BRYA INGRAM / STUFF
Tereise Maefia, owner and head chef of Renzo’s Kitchen and Takeaway, helps provide a homely atmosphere for RSE workers in the region.
“I started with one pot in the kitchen, but it was sold out on the first day. I advertised on my Facebook page and sold over 100 meals on the first day,” says Maefia.
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Maefia said she started her business to pay for her children’s school fees and the high invoices associated with raising a family of six with one hand.
As a full-time caregiver for her learning-impaired son, Maefia couldn’t work full-time away from home, so she decided to open a store in her garage.
Maefia, who is also the accountant for the Brenham Samoa community, named her youngest child Renzo’s Kitchen and Takeout, a fast-growing company.
With the help of best friend Vai McKelvey and daughter-in-law Mary Vavaheà, the business is getting stronger and stronger, providing home-savory taste to hundreds of homesick RSE workers each week.
Supply / Marlboro Express
The six mothers on the left, Tereise Maifea, started Renzo’s Kitchen to help pay for their children’s school fees. It started soon and she is currently dealing with hundreds of RSE workers in Brenham.
Her culinary prowess has attracted the attention of local office and factory workers, including Samoa Independence Day celebrations and Tarano Ako events (Pacifica Conference).
Maefia said she wasn’t the only RSE worker in Samoa to like her food.
“PNG (Papua New Guinea) boys love my curry, Tonga, Fiji and Vanuatu boys.
“On the islands, we all use the same ingredients. The only difference is the cooking method,” says Maifea.
when thing Visit Renzo’s Kitchen and have a menu of dishes such as beef stew with pumpkin and silver beet, Oka i’a, a kind of raw fish salad, and satoimo with coconut cream. I was enthusiastically snapped to the constant flow of. Off for the day.
BRYA INGRAM / STUFF
Maefia’s best friend and Deputy Commander of Renzo’s Kitchen, Weimackel Bay, prepares a boxed meal before the customer arrives.
A patron, Fulmoia Lefor, bought a supper of raw fish, taro and beef chop suey, and said it would be great to have such a place in town.
“I come back every week, it’s great island food, and you can’t find this type of island food anywhere else in Brenham, only here,” Lefor said.
Maefia said Brenham had a great desire for food on the island and wanted to move to a more specialized facility someday.
“My dream is to own my own cafe or restaurant. There is a market for it. Locals come for lunch, and RSE boys come late in the day they finish their work. come.
BRYA INGRAM / STUFF / Marlborough Express
Maefia’s culinary business has grown from one pot in the garage to selling hundreds of meals a week.
“We sell over 100 meals each time. Last week, people appeared later, and we had no food left,” Maefia said.
Vavaheà, a daughter-in-law who helps marketing among other duties, said food has always been a great way to connect people.
“It connects all these people through food,” Vavaheà said.
Renzo’s Kitchen and Takeaway is open every Thursday from noon to late night on 2Grady Street in Mayfield, Brenham.