From pushing trolleys at the local grocery store to becoming a successful sushi chef, Maruwaan Christians is the man behind the Western Cape's first sushi food truck. Growing up in Mitchells Plain, a historically disadvantaged community on the Cape Flats, opportunities were scarce. But Christians persevered and used every job as a learning experience to bring him closer to his dreams. “You will move forward and become something in life, but patience is very important,” he says.
Christians progressed from pushing trolleys to become a cashier before training behind the sushi counter at Pick n Pay. “When I lost my father and I matriculated it was all about hustling,” he says. His culinary enthusiasm was sparked while working at some of Cape Town's renowned seafood restaurants, and so Christians enrolled in a business and entrepreneurship programme at the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative to follow his passion. In 2020 he opened Sushi Fundi, a first-of-its-kind sushi food truck that Christians drives around the city, serving locals tasty salmon roses and deep-fried rolls. “Nobody expected sushi to come out of a trailer,” he says.
Making sushi available to communities around the province brings him delight. “My bigger dream is to open a restaurant,” Christians says. “I didn’t expect it was possible but I never gave up.” Continuing to dish out succulent sushi, he is proof that regardless of your circumstances there is always a way forward.
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