You may have noticed the smell of Karen food wafting through the Centreway Arcade between Queen Street and Hargreaves Mall around lunch time.
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It's the smell of Paw Kee's new business Karen Lady House which opened just two weeks ago.
The restaurant is an expansion of Ms Kee's business Karen Lady Catering, which she launched in 2019.
Ms Kee said she wanted to open the restaurant to showcase Karen food and her culture.
"I love to cook and I love to share what I cook," she said.
"The big thing is this is I just want people to know of us as a Karen people, opening our shop [with] Karen staff and decoration.
"In Bendigo, there's a lot of Karen people now ... we just want people to know us and we can do this."
'We can do this'
Karen people have migrated from the Myanmar and Thailand border since the 2000s as refugees due to conflict in Myanmar.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Karen is the most common language other than English spoken in Bendigo.
At the 2021 Census there were almost 1600 Karen-speaking people in Bendigo.
Ms Kee has been in Bendigo for about 13 years, and had found support for her cooking businesses from Bendigo Community Health Services and Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services.
She said opening her restaurant was an example of Karen people being supported to do what they love.
"I want young people to do what they want," she said.
"Before I did cooking and catering stuff, I was a hairdresser... but that is not my thing."
Showcase of culture
As much as she loved sharing her culture with Australians and English-speakers, Ms Kee said it was also important for Karen people to have a place they felt comfortable ordering and eating at.
"For younger people it's okay to go to any restaurant they want, [but] for older people and some younger people who don't speak English, they can come here and ask in Karen," she said.
"I know a lot of older people and new people around who don't speak English come here because when they want to order things in an English restaurant, they cannot speak or ask, this is the easier way for them."
She said the restaurant's specialties included Karen noodle soup, rice-based dishes and a Karen chili paste.
"In the morning or lunchtime with the smell of the food, people come and say 'what is that smell?'," Ms Kee said.
"That's Karen noodle soup!"
Jonathon Magrath
Jonathon has been living and working in Bendigo since March 2021, currently working as a general reporter. Contact him on jonathon.magrath@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Jonathon has been living and working in Bendigo since March 2021, currently working as a general reporter. Contact him on jonathon.magrath@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
