DARE TO DREAM
Birthday celebrations are always so much fun! I was so spoilt over the last week, with a number of special birthday get-togethers in my honour. Although I’m sad to report that there were no cupcakes to be seen anywhere, there were certainly many other treats to make up for the absence!
A lovely lunch and cream buns at the home of one of my sisters-in-law…..
A delicious dinner and cake at my Mum’s…….
A delectable Thai lunch with friends……
A romantic outing with my darling husband to my favourite organic restaurant……
I ate so much delicious food over my birthday weekend, it’s a wonder I still fit into my clothes! I’m hoping that the following photos will be tantalising enough to make you realise that a visit to these two great restaurants is a must for any food-loving Sydneysider!!
Holy Basil Thai Restaurant, in Sydney’s Canley Heights, served the most amazing Thai food I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. Thai is one of my family’s favourite foods, but lately I’ve been quite disappointed with the quality we were experiencing at some unnamed restaurants.
You can imagine our delight when we were introduced to this hidden gem. Not only was the food at Holy Basil second to none, but the decor, atmosphere and service were something to rave about……
The food presentation was exquisite…….
And this was the most incredible fried ice cream I have ever come across…….
Then there was Agape Organic Restaurant in Botany, which also boasts the most amazing food, decor and service…….
Being the spoilt birthday girl, my husband allowed me to choose what we would both have from the menu. I was so excited! Organic, organic, organic……everything was organic!!!
We started with an entree of sea scallops, served in their shells on a bed of pea and basil risotto, lemon and chives…….
As part of our entree, we also had an organic spelt pizza, with pumpkin, pesto, spinach, feta and caramelised onion……..
Our two mains, which we shared of course, were kingfish and wagyu beef, with a side of hand-cut chips……..
I know it’s hard to believe, but after all that, we still had room for dessert. Upside down apple cake with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice-cream, and meringue with marinated berries and handmade strawberry ice-cream………
At both these restaurants, I got to talking to the owners, as I often do, as I just love to hear people’s stories. At Holy Basil, which is a family-run business, the head chef worked as a smash repairer, but dreamt of cooking fine food. So he went to Thailand for two years and learned the ropes….he now doesn’t just make fine Thai food, I think he makes the “finest” I’ve had yet!!
Our friends who introduced us to this little secret, told us that when they went to Holy Basil one Saturday night there was a very long line of people waiting for a table, so the waiters generously served free fruit smoothies and chicken skewers. Now that’s what I call service!
Agape Organic Restaurant is also a family-run business, which was born out of a love of healthy food and a love of people. It became obvious that this family was really into love. The name “Agape” first caught my attention when I had been searching for organic food suppliers on the internet one day. It is actually an ancient Greek word from the Bible meaning God’s unconditional love for us; a pure selfless love of one person for another.
After chatting to the owners, I discovered that this beautiful family had a dream that their business could not only be a great success for them, but could also promote social justice, both in their local and global communities. Just one of the projects they support is “Feed the Hungry” (http://www.feedthehungryaustralia.org/everychild.php), whose campaign begs the question:
“What can you get for $6 (a week)” and answers, “For $6, the cost of 1 take-away, you can take away hunger for 100 children”.
I love that their business is not just all about them….it’s about giving to others as well.
Two amazing restaurants that began with a simple dream…..it got me thinking about how different the world would be if nobody dared to dream!
Baking cupcakes is a “dream” business for some.
I’ve heard so many wonderful stories about people who begin making cakes or cupcakes at home and they love it so much that it eventually becomes a successful business for them. When I first started my cake decorating course, I thought how lovely it would be to do this for a living, only to hear my brother say, “there’s no money in cupcakes”. His comment soon brought me back to reality, when I considered not only the cost of the ingredients, but the time that goes into creating a cupcake masterpiece…..put simply, I would have to make a whole lot of cupcakes to start making a profit!
I no longer dream about having a cupcake business, but I certainly have many other dreams. Some are old dreams that have been with me for many years, but others are new. The great thing about dreams is that they are free, so it doesn’t really matter how many we have! It didn’t cost me anything to dream about a beautiful cupcake business for a moment. Why, haven’t the most amazing things in life started with a simple dream?
Mark Twain apparently said, “Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great”.
I love that…and I think that’s why I love hearing the stories of people who have dared to dream and have seen their dreams become a reality. These stories inspire me to believe that anything is possible for me too; that my dreams too can become a reality!
It takes courage to share one’s dreams with others; to fight against the fear of criticism or ridicule. I believe God places dreams and desires in the hearts of men and women so that things get done on the earth.
Martin Luther King Jnr had a dream – that there would be an end to racism and that his people would enjoy freedom and equal rights….and today we see an African-American President leading the most powerful nation in the world!
Mother Teresa had a dream to care for as many of the world’s poor and sick as possible….and hundreds of nuns from her order, the Missionaries of Charity, still selflessly carry on Mother Teresa’s amazing work many years after her passing!
Fred Hollows had a dream that we could live in a world where no-one was needlessly blind…..today the Fred Hollows Foundation continues to ensure that thousands of people across Australia, the Pacific, South East Asia and Africa have access to eye health care!
There are so many wonderful “dreamers” today and throughout history. What if these people had given up on their dreams?
I guess sickness or trauma, or some other let-down in life, could cause some people to discard their dreams. For me, cancer took a few things from me, but it can never take away my dreams!
“If you lose hope somehow you lose that vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you to go on in spite of all. And so today I still have a dream” (Martin Luther King Jnr).
In a scene from one of my favourite movies, The Pursuit of Happiness, a father gives some poignant advice to his son about never giving up on his dreams:
“Don’t ever let someone tell you, you can’t do something. You got a dream, you got to protect it. People can’t do something themselves; they want to tell you, you can’t do it.”
