Hello there, and welcome to my little corner! ❤️
I’m originally from Malaysia, and I think no matter how long you’ve been away from where you grew up, some things just stay with you. For me, food is definitely one of them… and coffee. 😂
My mum lived with us for over 30 years, and for years the two of us talked about opening a little restaurant together someday. We loved the idea. Mum loved to cook, I love to cook, and of course we both loved to eat. LOL.
But realistically, opening a restaurant was expensive. Mum really wasn’t in a position to run one, and I still had to work and make a living. So it became one of those dreams we talked about and imagined, but never quite got to do.
After Mum passed, I found myself thinking about that dream again.
I knew I wasn’t suddenly going to open a restaurant, and this isn’t a brick-and-mortar coffee shop either. But I thought… why couldn’t I bring a little piece of what Mum and I dreamed about to life in another way?
And so… here we are.
Well, Mum… I did it. Sort of. 😂❤️
This little online shop is Nana Fam Kitchen, named for Mum — the original Nana of this family. It gives me a place to share some of the things we grew up with, some of the things Mum taught me, and probably a few things I dream up along the way.
Coffee seemed like the perfect place to start because I love coffee, Mum loved coffee, and Malaysian coffee will always have a special place in my heart.
I originally wanted to bring you real Malaysian-style kopi. The wonderful folks at Temecula Coffee Roasters roast and ship every bag of my Auntie Violet coffee for me, but they can’t make that exact traditional Malaysian style.
So I did what I usually do when something doesn’t quite work the way I planned.
I improvised. 😂
I chose bold coffees that you can play with at home. Drink them black, add susu — milk, for those of you wondering what on earth I’m talking about 😂 — make them sweet, make them iced, make them strong. There really isn’t one “right” way. I’ll even show you how I make mine.
And really… what is kopi without kaya toast? 😂
Kaya is the coconut-and-egg jam so many of us grew up eating on toast, and yes… that’s on my list too.
Auntie Violet is the coffee side of our little family. It’s my nod to the aunties we all seem to have — the ones who feed you, tell you what you should be doing, ask questions they probably shouldn’t ask, and somehow still make you feel completely loved. 😂❤️
And Nana Fam Kitchen is the family behind it all.
Mum’s curry powder is coming too, made from the blend I grew up with and still make myself. And who knows what else will find its way into this little kitchen as we go. That’s part of the fun.
My husband deserves some credit too. He took the photo of me with Midnight and Joni, helped me with the look of the shop, and has patiently watched me change my mind about little details approximately seventeen thousand times.
He knew what he married. 😂
So no, this isn’t the restaurant Mum and I once dreamed about, and I’m not standing behind a counter serving coffee all day.
But in its own funny little way, I think this is still part of that dream.
So come sit with us. Have a look around, try something new, and if you make one of the coffees — or eventually one of Mum’s recipes — please tell me about it.
I really would love to hear.
With love (and probably coffee),
Auntie Violet ❤️☕