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Homeless to His Own Sri Lankan Restaurant in London
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Homeless to His Own Sri Lankan Restaurant in London

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Homeless to His Own Sri Lankan Restaurant in London

Meet Yogi. A Sri Lankan chef in London.

Yogeswaran Sivakolundu came to the UK in 2007. What followed were years of instability, moving from place to place, trying to stay afloat, and navigating life without any real sense of certainty.

There were stretches when things felt incredibly hard. Moments when he had to pause, accept support, and take life one step at a time, even when the future felt unclear.

Somewhere along the way, he found cooking.Yogi laughed as he told me he didn’t even know how to make a cup of tea back then. Now, he’s cooking beautiful, complex curries and deeply authentic Sri Lankan food. 🥹

Starting from scratch, cooking became a source of purpose and clarity, helping Yogi reconnect with himself. Over time, it became the space where things began to feel grounded again, brighter. ❤️

For Yogi, cooking isn’t just about feeding people. It’s about care and generosity. His food carries the spirit of Sri Lanka. Comforting, honest, and deeply rooted. One bite and you feel it. Not just the flavours but the intention behind them. The love, the attention, the dedication.

This is his story. One of learning how to keep going, accepting help when it’s needed, and turning difficult experiences into something meaningful, while still choosing kindness through it all.

In this video, we talk about the journey behind the food at Yogi’s Sri Lankan Kitchen, the years before things settled, the people who played a part along the way, and what it means to build something with heart, slowly and sincerely.

Yogi’s food brought me back to Sri Lanka. His kindness, humility, and quiet strength stayed with me long after meeting him. It reminded me to keep choosing kindness and never take things for granted.

#srilanka #london #srilankanfood

29 Comments

  1. @Abraham-uk4xy

    The hero chef and trampoline cafe owner and the heroine Nandini.
    This is a good video to show to all entrepreneurs. He faced so many health challenges and immigration issues to stay in UK but he triumphed.

  6. @VelSelliah-g4g

    Let's Salute to the Eelam Tamil Chef who have been doing well.
    Some people can think that Y he branded the name as Smell Srilanka instead of Smell Eelam, answer is the name Srilanka (whether we like it or not) became Famous and for business one needs Famous Catchy name.
    But he could have written in Tamil underneath the brand name.

  12. @socsdd1

    What resilience. Truly inspirational. Terima kasih Nandini for showcasing another great human.

  13. @blaquecat

    i paused the vid just to hop and say, congratulations Yogi, wishing the best for you and family. Your journey was inspiring, and it's a story that you would only think exist in movies and books. Nandini girl, this channel though- thank you for YOUR writing and story telling. why bother with editor and movie production to tell these amazing stories,when you have crafted in your own visuals, documenting your journey with all the real raw sound of these streets. so honest, so beautiful. Best sangat-sangat! hari ni macam tak percaya ada video baru, tiba2 tak jadi sedih esok hari isnin. lol. tak sabar nak tengok next episode, and sis kalau boleh lama lah sikit video. 20 minit ke, 3 jam ke? this is so good. sumpah. i dok repeat tengok all your episodes while waiting for this one.

  18. @PulsePanel

    Thank you, Nandini, for bringing Yogi’s story to YouTube.
    His journey, struggles, and quiet resilience are truly moving, and it’s beautiful to see how they’ve shaped the person and the food he creates today.

  29. @kumara7459

    Anna… it is a strugle anyway to born in 3rd worl country..im a sinhalese i lived in London for almost 7 yrs .. i kmow the struggle very well.. nevertheless struggle in SL also still same.. people have little money but rich in heart… just try to forget the past..move ahead ..
    congrats…

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