Wirral chef ‘famous’ for her Mauritian onion bhajis opens new café

Devina Chapman, owner of Devina’s Mauritian Kitchen in Woodside Ferry Village, moved from Mauritius to Oxton in 2014 with her husband Gary.

While on a Visa, the 43-year-old worked for the NHS, but when Covid hit in 2020 she decided to start her own business cooking and delivering homemade transatlantic Mauritius food.

Devina's curries and onion bhajis (Image: Devina Chapman)

Devina told the Globe: “I make everything from scratch. I roast, blend and grind all my own Mauritius spices and I get all my meat and vegetables fresh.

“I started doing pop-up markets at Woodside Ferry Village and then after a while, Paula Basnett, Chair of Wirral Chamber of Commerce invited me to start trading inside.

“Paula helped me so much by offering me that opportunity. She helped me invest in new equipment and from there I was trading Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.”

Devina Chapman (Image: Devina Chapman)

Due to the success of Devina’s cooking business, she was able to quit her job and start trading full time in 2022.

She said: “This is my passion I didn’t go to culinary school everything I’ve learned about being a chef has come from me.

Mauritian food cooked by Devina (Image: Devina Chapman)

“I’ve grown the business. I have loads of regular customers now because there are no Mauritian restaurants in Wirral, Liverpool, Manchester, or Chester. I’m the only one.

“I have people coming to try my food from Wales, Manchester, and even Lancashire. I’ve got loads of customers from all around the North not just the Wirral.”

Breakfast cooked by Devina (Image: Devina Chapman)

In December, Woodside announced it would be closing for refurbishment works.

Devina said: “The Chamber offered me a new space to work from while renovation works were going on at Woodside."

Devina from Devina’s Mauritian Kitchen (Image: Devina’s Mauritian Kitchen)

On Wednesday, February 14 Devina moved into Unit 4 on Pacific Road in Birkenhead where she opened her new café.

She said: “The reaction has been great all my regulars from Woodside are happy I’ve got something temporary while the market is closed.

Devina’s Mauritian Kitchen's new location (Image: Devina’s Mauritian Kitchen)

“There’s loads of offices around here so it's something new for the workers to go to. People can phone me at 8am and put their orders in and collect at lunchtime so they don’t waste their lunch breaks waiting for food.”

Devina sells English breakfasts as well as Mauritius street food including curries, noodles, and her famous onion bhajis.

Devina's onion bhajis (Image: Devina’s Mauritian Kitchen)

She said: “My onion bhajis are how I got popular. They’re huge, homemade and made with proper Mauritian spices.

“It’s the same with my curries. There’s nowhere you can get a proper Mauritian curry made like mine all from scratch. It’s not like a jar of sauce. It’s all fresh from my own spices and powders.”

You can find Devina’s Mauritian Kitchen from 8-3pm Monday to Friday at Unit 4 Pacific Road CH41 1LJ Birkenhead.