7 October 2024 - Sponsored by mccain
Meet Maral, the visionary behind Ayal: Sharing Turkmenistan’s Flavours with London’s Streets
- Maral joined the McCain Streets Ahead programme, powered by KERB in 2022.
- Ayal proudly serves up traditional Turkmenistan cuisine across three KERB lunch markets in London.
- Via McCain Streets Ahead, Maral carried out 12 months of training and mentoring to understand street food fundamentals, exploring how she could succeed with her Turkmenistan concept.
- Maral secured the highest investment of £10,000 from McCain Foodservice Solutions in June 2023, after pitching her business concept and cooking her beloved family recipe of ‘steamed Manti dumplings’.
- A year on, Maral has become an official KERB member, and her business, Ayal, has built a dedicated customer base in central London.
Image Credit: KERB+
In 2022, Maral embarked on a mission to introduce the vibrant flavours of Turkmenistan to London’s street food scene. With a passion for her homeland’s cuisine and a desire to share it with the world, Maral joined the McCain Streets Ahead programme, powered by KERB+, to turn her dream into reality.
Maral’s journey began with a deep connection to her heritage, rooted in the traditional recipes passed down through generations. Her hero dish, steamed Manti dumplings, is a family recipe she learned in Turkmenistan, and she wanted to showcase it to a wider audience. “I’m happy to introduce our cuisine from Turkmenistan to the people of London,” Maral shared in a recent interview. “It was my dream to have this food business.”
Through 12 months of training and mentoring, Maral immersed herself in the fundamentals of the street food industry, refining her concept and preparing to launch her business, Ayal. The Streets Ahead programme provided Maral with the support and knowledge she needed to grow her business. “I’d definitely recommend the Streets Ahead programme to everyone who wants to open their own street food business,” she shared. “Streets Ahead helped me gain my dream.”
Image Credit: KERB+
In June 2023, Maral pitched her business concept to a panel of judges from McCain and KERB, presenting her homemade Manti dumplings. Her dedication and passion paid off when she secured the highest investment of £10,000 from McCain, allowing her to fully equip her business and bring Ayal to life. Her success story continued as she graduated from KERB’s InKERBator programme the following year, further solidifying her place in London’s street food landscape.
Today, Ayal is a thriving street food venture, proudly serving traditional Turkmenistan cuisine across three KERB lunch markets in London – Fleet Place, Cowcross Yards, and Gipsy Hill. To showcase the diversity of Turkmen cuisine, she expanded her menu to include traditional palav, a savoury rice dish with lamb and chicken, alongside her hand-crafted, steamed Manti dumplings.
Looking to the future, Maral dreams of opening a small restaurant, perhaps by the seaside.
Ayal often trades next to Samarkand Palav and UTOPIA, two businesses that also went on to trade in London following their success through the McCain Streets Ahead programme, creating lasting and supportive connections.
Streets Ahead has successfully changed lives through street food. Watch Maral’s full interview here.
You can follow Maral’s journey on her socials @ayalfood3896 or McCain’s @mccainfoodserviceuk, where you can learn more about the businesses that have received start-up investment through the McCain Streets Ahead programme.
The McCain Streets Ahead programme, powered by KERB aims to support the foodservice industry by creating opportunities for less-advantaged individuals eager to break into the sector. Over the past two years, the programme has nurtured the skills and business ideas of over 200 participants, with McCain investing over £200,000 into independent start-ups, so far.