For 20 years, she's stood behind the till at her corner shop.
But after plenty of encouragement from her customers, Mangla Dodiya is now making her own dream come true - and opening a restaurant.
The 55-year-old is best known for running Pembroke Mini Market. But now she has taken over a premises on the edge of Victoria Park, at 587 Cowbridge Road East in Canton and is in the final stages of transforming it into Mangla's Spice of Life.
'My customers have encouraged me'
She hopes the relaxed cafe, showing the best of Gujarati food, will be open by the end of October.
"I have been running Pembroke Mini Market for 20 years and slowly, slowly I was experimenting and getting customers to try my food and they have been encouraging me to open a place selling my vegetarian food.
"So, I was looking for somewhere to open it, but I wanted to find a good location.
"Then two properties came up at Victoria Park so I bought the end one," she said.
"I am very, very excited. It's my own dream. I love cooking vegetarian food which is tasty and healthy. Chapatis, pakora, you name it," she said.
'It will be just like home'
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"I want to introduce people to healthy, vegetarian food. I'm a vegetarian and always have been."
Inside, she said it will be relaxed.
"It'll be just like home. Relaxing with Indian music in the background."
"Now it's my time. I want to retire from the corner shop and I want to show off my love of food. It is my ambition and my dream come true to run a vegetarian restaurant," she said.