New Yellowknife couple turn catering skills into Afghani food truck business

A new local bite has rolled into town.

Afreen Sadiq, and her husband, Hasan recently started a food truck called Afghan Food Corner.

Some of the food they serve include meat kebabs and rice, along with a type of gravy which she calls butter chicken, though she describes the dish as more of a "Persian butter chicken."

"Its spices are totally different than butter chicken," Afreen said. "But everybody loves it."

It's not the couples' first dabble in the food industry.

Afreen is a chef and used to cater in Fort McMurray, Alta. She said she began catering after noticing guests who came to their home often complemented her cooking.

"So I was thinking, why not? I'm going to do my own catering," she said.

More recently, a friend of the couple living in Yellowknife encouraged them to move to the city and start a food truck business. They took the leap, and arrived in the city in late February.

The first day of serving up food from the truck was a bit nerve-wracking, especially since their previous experience in catering didn't involve much direct interaction with customers.

Afreen said she was not expecting much in terms of community reaction. So when people started lining up, it came as a delightful surprise.

"[Customers] were just making me so comfortable … like everyone's so nice. And I was like, 'Oh my God, this is so good.' And I loved it," she said.

"The people in Yellowknife, they're amazing," Hasan said, and Afreen added "seriously, they give us so much love, so much."

Hasan said they're thankful for the community's support.

"That is the kind of the reason that keeps us going on," he said.

This summer, the truck will be set up in front of the CIBC on Franklin Avenue from Monday to Friday.

Afreen said eventually they will start doing catering again in Yellowknife and will have a longer list of foods available.