Sisters fired up to feed masses
They are a marine scientist and a communications expert with no hospitality experience.
Yet Geraldton-raised sisters Nicole and Carmen Watts will throw themselves into the fire when they represent WA on Seven’s new reality series Restaurant Revolution, which tasks teams with setting up their own pop-up eatery.
Carmen and Nicole Watts at their Leederville pop up. Picture: Iain Gillespie
The women say they won’t let their lack of cooking skills stop them from being a force to be reckoned with on the show.
“I love cooking but I’m by no means a chef,” Nicole, 28, toldThe West Australian .
“Neither of us have commercial experience in a kitchen. I am actually a marine scientist. (But) we are quite resourceful and lateral thinkers so I think that gives us an edge.”
Carmen, 25, added: “Yes, we are not chefs, but I think we collectively have a broader skill set than some of our potential competitors. What we don’t know, we can learn.”
Initially applying to be on the series with her boyfriend, Carmen had to ask Nicole to step in as his replacement when he received a job offer he couldn’t turn down.
The passionate siblings have been busy setting up their Spanish-inspired restaurant, La Linea, in the heart of Leederville over the past few weeks.
They said it was a chance for them to create their “ideal dining experience” within the space, which is constructed from shipping containers.
“We spend a lot of time wining and dining and we always see things that we think could have been done better, so this is our chance to make our perfect restaurant,” Carmen said.
Nicole added: “I also like how a restaurant is a reflection of yourself. It encompasses all your taste, style and food preferences into one place that everyone can enjoy.”
Perth punters will have the chance to experience La Linea for themselves when the pop-up opens its doors to the public at 103 Oxford Street Leederville from Tuesday for lunch (12-4pm) and dinner (6-11pm) services.
The restaurant is BYO and only accepts walk-ins, with the Watts sisters encouraging diners to arrive early to avoid disappointment.
“We would love to have as many people in the restaurant as possible because we have worked really hard on it and we want to share it with people now,” Carmen said.
Restaurant Revolution will air on Seven/ GWN7 soon.
Source: The West Australian, Jessie Papain, July 12th 2015
