10/01/2024
SUSHI DAY AT SCHOOL
When we started Paper Cranes Sushi in Bairnsdale seven years ago, we thought that travelling to Melbourne for sushi every time was a bit much.
We believed many other Gippslanders would feel the same way, we hoped that we’d meet a local demand.
Almost five years ago, we welcomed our first child, Abby. Coincidently that’s when we opened our Sale store.
As Abby grew up and started school, so did our businesses.
Jacqui and I love trying new food. Abby is the complete opposite. In her own words, she likes it “plain”. Think pasta, rice and white bread.
She makes an exception for sushi. Cucumber sushi, nothing too exotic.
Her school lunch box started including sushis occasionally. It was a life saver, we knew she’d eat nutritional food to keep her going.
We quickly became the “sushi parents”.
Abby’s school - and other schools down the track - invited us to do sushi making classes for the kids.
Gluten free, dairy free, vegetarians and vegans. Every kid got a taste. We could work around just about any food intolerance without sacrificing the taste or the fun. It was an instant hit!
We probably didn’t realise that kids formed a big chunk of our customer base.
We then started having a sushi day for the school every Friday. We’d deliver the sushi in pre-made packs on the day, ready to eat.
Hospitality people are feeders - seeing a school backyard full of happy faces eating sushi was fulfilling.
We’ve now received enquiries from other schools so they can too, have a sushi day. We hope others will follow.
Of course our team of almost twenty staff across all three stores will always enjoy seeing your friendly faces come through our doors.
Our wish for 2024 though, is to provide a healthier option for schools around Gippsland, trying to break away from the beloved party pies, sausage rolls and other fried delicacies, once a week.
It also provides parents with an affordable break from making the lunch box. And that’s also a win in our eyes!
