ROCKING ENTREPRENUER: Putu Indrawan, a rock star turned cullinary entreprenuer, poses in Warung Tresni. (JP/Irawaty Wardany)

Nobody knows what the future brings. We might have passion in one area but sometimes life makes us take a very different path.

Just like Putu Indrawan, owner of Warung Tresni in Denpasar. Who would have thought the former bassist of Harley Angels, a legendary local rock band, would change his life so drastically at some point because of economic difficulties?

Warung Tresni is a popular eatery that sells Balinese traditional delicacies, such as ayam betutu, jukut ares (chicken soup with shredded banana trunk), lawar (minced vegetables mixed with meat), tum ayam (steamed chicken wrapped in banana leaf). It also offers an array of Balinese traditional cakes and beverages, a rarity in a city besieged by American fast-food franchises and Javanese food-stalls.

Nestled in a narrow road across from the governor's office in Renon, Warung Tresni is a favorite lunch spot for civil servants and students. Another group of regulars is local musicians and band managers, who come not only for the food but also for fulfilling conversations with Indrawan.

"After around 15 years of performing from one festival to another, from one caf* to another, members of the band started to split. Some of them went abroad, so the band was just simply dissolved," Indrawan told The Jakarta Post here on Monday.

He said after that he opened shop selling electronic appliances. The shop was a failure and left Indrawan totally broke.

"At that time my wife was pregnant and all I can think of was how to earn money to feed my family," said the father of two.

He said that even though he did not have a culinary background, since most of his family members have a background in food and beverages, he decided to establish a food stall in Renon. "I was no longer thinking about pride. From a rock star, who used to strut around suddenly I became a street vendor," he said.

He added that he could not rise from bankruptcy without help from his friends.

"They were also my first consumers. I said at that time I did not need them to feel pity for me, I just needed them come to my food booth and became my customers," said the 48-year-old man.

He added that now he realizes that friends are the most important thing in life.

"My biggest fear now is to lose a friend."

With his educational background in economics at Udayana University, he has been able to expand his business from a street stall to a serious culinary operation.

Besides having a bistro on Jl. Drupadi, Denpasar, he is also provide catering services for foreign nationals who live in Tabanan and several other areas in Bali."I got into this business and realized that my decision to open a bistro that sells Balinese food was a correct one. In business we have to have that distinct image or product that will set us apart from the competitors, so that people can remember us every time they want to find a certain kind of food," he said.

Such a distinctive quality, he believes, is the sole reason he has never lost a patron. "From when I was a street vendor to the present period when I operate an established eatery, I have never lost a single patron. The number of customers keeps increasing."

He said that since he was also providing catering for foreign nationals, he learned that he only had to lighten the taste of the Balinese food to adjust to their tastes.

"If those foreigners can enjoy special Balinese food, then we can be acknowledged by the international culinary world," he said.

He added that looking back on his life journey, he had no regrets but one.

"My band did not have any album or something that can remind us about the existence of Harley Angels."

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