Sauce loving diners give authentic Asian Fusion chef Kate a new business idea

ENTERPRISING Kate Allen has responded to requests from diners at her restaurant keen to enjoy her unique Asian fusion sauces at home.

Originally from Bangkok in Thailand, Kate runs Khao, a widely acclaimed restaurant for great and authentic Asian, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese and Malaysian dishes on Belfast’s bustling Lisburn Road.

Kate’s original sauces are available at local delis such as Arcadia and Belmont Larder, as well as the Asian Supermarket in Belfast.

placeholder image — Kate’s original sauces are available at local delis such as Arcadia and Belmont Larder, as well as the Asian Supermarket in Belfast.

She’s launched an initial range of sauces under Sauci Sauces – Sticky Korean, Thai Crispy Chilli Oil and Pad Thai – for lovers of Asian fusion food.

“I decided to turn some of the sauces I use in the restaurant into products for sale in response to requests from diners asking if they could take them home after their meals,” explains Kate, who arrived here in 2003 from a period working in Australia. “I’d make up jars for them of the sauce they enjoyed in the restaurant,” adds Kate.

The popularity of her own recipe sauces led Kate to start a new business and to seek guidance on bringing the sauces to market from the experts at Foodovation In Londonderry’s North West Regional College.

“While I have a degree in business management I needed help in key areas such as food production, labelling and packaging,” she continues. “Foodovation helped me obtain funding for these areas through an Invest NI Innovation Voucher and was tremendously supportive, enabling me to move towards marketing my innovative sauces,” she adds.

Launched in May, three sauces are listed in Belfast delis, including the Arcadia, Belmont Larder and the Asian Supermarket. They are also available from the restaurant and from Kate at weekends in St George’s Market.

Kate learned her culinary skills and recipes at home in Bangkok and then in Australia. She opened Thai-tanic, her first eatery in Belfast, in 2004 and ran it successfully for 10 years.

Khao, her second and hugely successful restaurant, which she opened in 2019 after a break from the business, continues to prosper through quality and innovative taste experiences and excellent customer services … and, of course, stunning sauces!