“Upon the announcement of the lockdown during Nyepi 2020, I felt uneasy and uncertain about the future. The closure of tourism meant thousands of Balinese had lost their jobs overnight,” said Landriati  Pramoedji, restaurant and hotel consultant and CEO of Dine & Wine Bali. “I had to respond. But where to start and how?”

“I am a believer in being in the right place at the right time. Therefore my business experience was the obvious starting point. Unfortunately, a prolonged Nyepi meant that all restaurants remained closed for dine-in. Those, however, who had previously started their takeaway service and continued during the lockdown, I wanted to help. So, I allowed them free advertising with the Dine & Wine Bali social media platform for a certain period of time.”

Landriati’s next solution was to reach out to her extensive network. She contacted the executive chef of Potato Head Bali Wayan Kresna Yasa to learn of the possible number of jobless people. “A five-star hotel employs about 400 kitchen staff. Wayan’s reply pierced my heart. Tears welled in my eyes as I tried to calculate the number of hotels in Nusa Dua and the other jobless. For example, the waitresses, bartenders, managers and sales staff,” she explained.

“I suggested empowering the Balinese, not with food but with basic cooking equipment and start-up capital.  Allowing former chefs, cooks and kitchen helpers to ignite their entrepreneurial spirit by creating items at home to sell. So they can support their families and pay their bills,” Landriati told The Jakarta Post. Wayan responded positively. Landriati then shared the idea with Heru Dwi Soesilo, a hotel and restaurant consultant and a freelance graphic designer, Nadya Puspa, who immediately joined the cause along with Wayan.

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Sendok Kreatif (creative spoon) was born as a movement and charity catering to those who started their home-cooking business during the pandemic. Providing skills, knowledge and confidence transfers for free. Sendok Kreatif ’s mission is to supply home-based culinary micro-entrepreneurs with adequate resources to develop their businesses in an eco-responsible and sustainable manner.

Sendok Kreatif  provides personalized one-on-one training sessions on effective procedures, management coaching and marketing knowledge along with cooking and packaging tools. "The only way out of this challenging time is simply to create a new future. Where there is crisis, there is also opportunity," Landriati told me. Sendok Kreatif teaches selected candidates branding, hashtags, marketing strategies, packaging and cost calculation. Brand identity is tailored following the entrepreneurs' concept and vision. Social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are activated to efficiently manage content. Also distribution assistance is provided for products via Sendok Kreatif channels, websites, social media, word of mouth, and new opportunities with partners and the community.

Understanding the supply chain is vital to any company's success. Therefore yearly availability, quality control, cost efficiency and inventory become essential factors in a venture's performance. The sharing of industry information, such as suppliers, to attain wholesale prices is included. "We insist on avoiding single-use plastic items. Quality control procedures ensure that cooking, hygiene, and safety criteria are met, and we encourage sourcing directly from farmers in their community,"  Landriati adds. Sendok Kreatif's formula determines candidates' eligibility by uncovering their core values and character traits, which will drive them to prosperity.

Within one year, Sendok Kreatif has empowered seven micro-businesses receiving funding from their T-shirt sales, and donations from individuals and restaurants. It needs more public support to continue serving the community. One of the success stories is Catherine Muljadi, who works part-time as a hotel operations manager. Sendok Kreatif has assisted her enterprise Apple & Co in fine- tuning her recipes and innovating new ones. Also by strengthening her network and adopting a peer-to-peer model cutting out the inefficiency of the middleman. Her apple crumbles, pies and more are now in hot demand.

Read also: Soydivision: Creative blends of Indonesian food, art and music

Nyoman Sudiasa has a passion for wines and spirits and is the founder of Three Brothers infused arak. With more than 20 years of experience in local and international tourism, he became unemployed at the beginning of the pandemic. Partnering with a friend, a former mixologist, they distilled their own arak from coconut sap. They now produce more than eight different flavors from local products such as passion fruit and rosella. In addition, they have innovated with concoctions such as cold-brew Kintamani coffee and spiced rum aroma.

Sendok Kreatif consciously creates a butterfly effect, generating a positive impact on its surroundings and community, yet solely relies on donations. “We believe a fresh ‘circle of life’ will ripple new beginnings. The catalyst is creativity and how people determine a new life vision,” Landriati said. “We trust that Sendok Kreatif can play an essential role in helping establish sustainable enterprises and incomes and curbing the dependency upon the Bali tourist sector.”

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