When Linda Stanes and Diana Chirilas met in Sydney, there was an instant connection.
Both originally from Sweden, they loved their coastal Australian lifestyle. Like many expats, they also bonded over their craving for food from home.
“I came initially as a backpacker,” Diana Chirilas tells SBS Small Business Secrets.
“I thought I was going to be here for two months and then go back home and be fluent in English and continue my life.
“Then after one month I met this one [Linda], at a rooftop party.”
The friends later caught up regularly on Sydney's Northern Beaches for a ‘fika’, a Swedish tradition they were keen to celebrate with the wider community.
Diana and Linda in Sydney in 2007. Source: Supplied
“Fika is a [Swedish] word for a coffee break. It's a time to stop in between meals, to catch up with a friend, have a coffee and have a bite to eat,” Linda says.
“We did that so many times we [thought] there should be more of this for everyone.”
The idea for a business took shape in 2013 and, as they say, the rest is history.
“Swedish people I think are more famous for Abba, that’s kind of a little bit how this all started because people just didn’t know about the food,” Diana says.
“We were like, hang on, there’s actually a lot more to Sweden.”
The friends started their first Fika Swedish Kitchen near Sydney’s iconic Manly beach. In 2019 they opened a second location at Bondi.
“When we first opened, we thought: 'okay we’re going to get the traveling Swedes, they’ll come',” Diana says.
Friends Linda, Diana and Sophie at Bondi. Source: Supplied
“But then we also have the Swedish families who came when we first opened and, eight years later, they are bringing their kids.”
To their surprise, locals looking for a different flavour also flocked to the small business.
“Locals have been our bread and butter from day one,” Diana says.
Homemade meatballs and prawn Skagen are favourites on the menu, as well as their sweet treats like home-baked cinnamon scrolls.
“Everything comes up fresh in the morning from our little kitchen,” said Linda.
Their signature cinnamon scrolls. Source: Supplied
“At Fika, everything is made from scratch. We do our own cured salmon, and I think Swedes have that in their genes, the whole home cooking concept.
“It's just all about introducing Scandinavian flavours to down-under.”
Their loyal customers are grateful for a cosy place to relax during the pandemic.
“It’s really like we’ve become a part of many people lives. They can celebrate festivities and bring their kids to something familiar, and feel at home,” Linda says.
“It’s a huge thing for use that people come in and thank us for bringing that little bit of home and making them really comfortable on the other side of the world.”
Diana jokes that for many travelers, Fika acts like a 'mini embassy'.
Swedish traditions are celebrated at fika. Source: Supplied
“We’re like a tourist information spot. Travellers expect us to have answers to queries like 'where can I get a passport?' or 'how do I find farm work?', or where can I get a visa extension?'.”
Fika was among Sydney's many hospitality outlets forced to close temporarily during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“We rescaled and cut right back on staff, which was scary,” Linda says.
“And then we got a bit of help from the landlord, a few months support from the government.
“With Bondi it was a shame because we had just built up a great team and we had four Scandinavians working with us. They all left with a week. But we’ve worked through it and now we’re almost back to normal.”
Over the Christmas holidays, their Manly café was also impacted by snap coronavirus restricitons affecting Sydney's Northern Beaches. Vendors were once again forced to scale back to takeaway.
The fika cafe in Manly. Source: SBS Jennifer Scherer
Diana and Linda thank the locals for keeping their business afloat.
“We’ve survived, and are now wanting to grow our business again,” Linda says.
“It’s more than just a coffee shop. It's like guiding new Swedes through life.”
