Shaun Christie-David Archives

Colombo Social Is Enmore’s New Sri Lankan Restaurant That’s Supporting Asylum Seekers – By Libby Curran Source:Concrete Playground When it comes to venturing out for a tasty feed, you don’t have to ask us twice. And when that meal just happens to be raising funds for an excellent cause as well? Well, there’s wins all round — which is the idea behind Enmore’s newest culinary addition. There’ll be plenty of winners at Colombo Social, which has just launched on Enmore Road. As a new social enterprise eatery, it’s lending a big helping hand to Sri Lankan asylum seekers and refugees, assisting them by providing employment opportunities and supporting their integration into Australia. The restaurant is the brainchild of Australian-born Sri Lankan Shaun Christie-David, who has teamed up with friend and hospitality veteran Peter Jones-Best. Inspired by Christie-David’s own experiences feeling like an outsider during his childhood, the venue ...

The Sri Lankan restaurant feeding Sydney’s vulnerable Shaun Christie-David repurposed his Sydney restaurant Colombo Social to feed those in need. (Mission Australia)Source: Mission Australia Source:-SBS Like many other restaurant owners, Shaun Christie-David has been hit hard by the impact of COVID-19, which has included the government mandating restaurants close dine-in services and only provide takeaways and deliveries. “Within three weeks, we lost about 100 per cent of our revenue,” says the co-owner of Colombo Social. Tough social-distancing rules meant people could no longer order kottu roti, hoppers or his mother’s dhal while dining in his restaurant in Sydney’s inner-west suburb of Enmore. Instead of scrambling to save his business from financial ruin, though, his first thought was, “how do I help others?'” ...