I Never Planned on Joining the Family Business. Now I Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way.

Growing up, I never thought I was going to run a kebab shop.

Kebabs have always been part of my family. My parents are Turkish, and my dad has been in the industry for around 40 years. His first kebab shop was in Wollongong back in the mid-80s, and Kebabs on Bell has now been part of Heidelberg West for about 15 years.

But when I was younger, I had completely different plans.

I was boxing, studying nursing and pretty focused on where those paths could take me. I represented Australia as an amateur boxer in the Commonwealth Games, became an Australian and Victorian champion, and eventually boxed professionally as well. At the same time, I finished my nursing studies and became a nurse helping parents take care of their children in need.

The kebab shop was just Dad’s shop.

My earliest memories of it are basically coming in after boxing training, smashing a lamb kebab and going home. I definitely wasn’t standing there thinking, “One day I’m going to run this place.”

Then COVID happened.

Dad was short on staff and asked if I could come in and give him a hand. I said yes, started working in the shop and slowly found myself enjoying it a lot more than I expected.

It was the people that got me.

I started talking to customers every day, getting to know the regulars and becoming friends with people who had been coming into the shop for years. Some of our customers come in two or three times a week. I realised pretty quickly that a local food business can become a real part of people’s lives.

Food brings people together. That sounds simple, but working here every day has really taught me what community actually means.

It also gave me an opportunity to work alongside my family. Mum and Dad are still involved, my little sister is part of the shop, and we have staff who have been with us for 10 or 15 years. There aren’t many opportunities where you get to build something with your family every day, and I appreciate that a lot more now than I probably would have when I was younger.

The funny thing is, when I look at boxing, nursing and running Kebabs on Bell, they seem like three completely different chapters of my life.

But I don't think they really are.

The thing connecting all of them has always been people.

When I was boxing, I had younger kids looking up to me. I would go into schools around Broadmeadows and speak to kids about bullying and try to mentor them where I could. When I studied nursing, it was obviously about caring for and helping people in a completely different way.

Giving back was always something that was instilled in me. One of the biggest things Dad taught me growing up was to be generous and help people when you can.

The shop has just given me a different way to do it.

That really became clear to me after a trip to Lombok in Indonesia.

I ended up there pretty randomly. I’d been travelling and decided to visit before coming home. When I arrived, I got talking to my driver and asked if I could visit his village.

He was actually surprised that I wanted to go.

When I got there, I saw a side of life that was very different from what we’re used to in Australia. There were people struggling to access things that we can easily take for granted, including basic medical aids and proper facilities.

I remember thinking, we have to do something here.

I came home and told Dad about what I’d seen. Not long after, we went back together. Since then, my father and the rest of my family have visited Lombok and seen the communities and projects for themselves.

What started as wanting to help has gradually become something much bigger.

We’ve helped fund a school in Areguling, including stages of the building itself as well as books, stationery and other things needed to actually run it. We’ve funded a water well with filtration, with the idea that the community can bottle and sell the water and put that money back into the village. We’ve supported agriculture through livestock, and we're also working with a nurse on the ground to help people who need medical aids and treatment.

Some of those experiences have been amazing. Others have been really hard.

On one trip, we met two 4 year old girls who had lost their vision. I tried everything I could think of to help them, including getting them to specialists in Bali, but we eventually found out it was too late to restore their sight.

That was difficult for me because my natural reaction is always, “What do you need? Let’s fix it.” That experience taught me that sometimes money can't solve everything.

But then there are other people where relatively simple support can completely change their situation.

Through the nurse we work with in Lombok, we've helped people access things like mobility aids and treatment. One woman recovering from a stroke went from needing assistance to take steps to being able to walk independently after receiving ongoing support and therapy. Those are the stories that remind me why I want to keep doing this.

And giving back isn't only something we're doing overseas.

Heidelberg West has supported our family and Kebabs on Bell for years, so supporting people here matters just as much. We work with the local Community Food Hub, which provides free groceries to people and families who need some extra help.

Now we've made that commitment part of every kebab we sell.

For every kebab sold at Kebabs on Bell, $1 goes towards a charity or cause we're supporting, whether that's here in our local community or through the work we're doing internationally.

I love the simplicity of that.

You don't have to come into the shop and make a donation. You don't have to do anything different. If you want a kebab, come in, have a kebab. We'll take care of the giving.

The more the business grows, the more we're able to do.

I still want Kebabs on Bell to grow. I want us to become a bigger brand, get involved in major Melbourne events, grow our catering and keep serving really good food. But now I can see a purpose behind that growth that I probably wouldn't have understood when I was younger.

More kebabs means more opportunities to give back.

Looking back, boxing taught me discipline and gave me a platform to influence younger people. Nursing taught me about caring for people. Dad taught me generosity. And somehow this kebab shop has brought all of those things together.

I'm still figuring out exactly where the Foundation can go. There are more people I'd like to help, more projects we'd like to support and a lot more we can do both here and overseas.

But I've realised something along the way that I keep coming back to.

True contentment is giving back.

I never thought running a kebab shop would become my path.

Now I can't think of a better platform to keep doing some good with.