Justyna Pasek has always been business-minded and admired the food and drink industry.
The same can be said for her mum, Elzbieta (Ela) Krysmann, and sister-in-law, Agata Pasek.
The trio, who are all originally from Poland and now reside in Inverness, agreed some time ago that despite the city boasting a line-up of high-quality eateries, it was lacking in a category.
That category is Polish cuisine. But not just any Polish cuisine.
“We always wanted something different, something Polish,” Justyna, 37, said.
“Food that we (the Polish community) cook for our families.”
The Urban Plate
Justyna, Ela and Agata all worked side-by-side running their own successful company prior to the pandemic.
But once the coronavirus outbreak struck, this was taken away from them.
Justyna said: “All our plans and dreams were ruined as we lost our jobs overnight.
“But one day, I was standing in the queue at a popular chain restaurant and we all started talking to each other on the phone.
“My mum, our main cook, was making pierogi – a small dough dumpling stuffed with a sweet or savoury filling – at the time.
“And at that special moment, an idea popped into our minds to share our skills with others and start cooking for people. The Urban Plate was born.”
From kitchen to food truck
The Urban Plate launched in November last year.
Initially, all the dishes were prepared in Justyna’s kitchen, but the trio quickly outgrew the space as demand increased.
“We were excited and afraid of how people were going to react to another ‘food selling’ place in Inverness,” Justyna added.
“It was all new to us but so satisfying when good reviews from our customers started flying our way.
“Every time we receive an order we are just as excited as we were then.”
Justyna, Ela and Agata continued to expand their menu and were attracting new customers daily, most of which became regular.
This is what sparked the realisation that a larger premises was required to work from, so they purchased a food truck from Ladybank in January.
It took three months to renovate and the team invested in two additional refrigerators, a panini machine, a deep fryer, a soup warmer, and a new generator.
Kebabs sold in the hundreds
The truck, which is primarily based at Telford Retail Park in Inverness, opened to the public on Wednesday April 6.
Running the company has proved “intense” yet rewarding for the three owners, who share all responsibilities between them.
Justyna and Agata are mums to young children, and so have had to set open hours to suit their families.
The Urban Plate is open from 11am to 2pm Monday to Thursday, 10am to 2pm and 6pm to 8pm on Fridays, and noon to 6pm (or until sold out) on Saturdays.
Justyna said: “Our opening day was full of positive emotions and it was more beautiful than we could have imagined.
“Everything that comes out of our van is made with love. We are so sure that this was the best decision that we have made in our lives.
“Passion is visible in all our dishes, which are made with fresh ingredients, homemade sauces and traditional flavourful cooking.”
The menu features breakfast rolls, sandwiches, soups, burgers, and hot and cold drinks.
Kebabs are also among the offering and 200 are sold, on average, per week.
‘We dream of opening a family restaurant’
The family previously hoped to open a restaurant before purchasing their food truck. However, were unsuccessful.
Nevertheless, this dream still remains and Justyna, Ela and Agata are on the hunt for a permanent The Urban Plate location.
“We were unable to find anything that would suit us 100%,” said Justyna. “So, we had to come up with a different plan.
“It definitely was not something that would stop us and we decided that a food truck would be a good solution to our small problem.
“However, we have actually started looking for a suitable venue to expand our business so our other dream of owning a small family restaurant can come true.”
Conversation