Local business owner Lisa Jenkins with her Sushi Girl van.

Kieran Campbell

WITH a bright pink van big enough to house all of her ambition, spritely young businesswoman Lisa Jenkins starts work driving across the Sunshine Coast before 7am most mornings.

Lisa is the young face behind Sushi Girl, a company she started two years ago as a frustrated 21-year-old.

After leaving school Lisa didn't know what she wanted to do. She tried different jobs and tested different university courses but realised she only wanted to work for herself.

Tossing away ideas she now thinks were ridiculous (like a shoe-making business), Lisa decided a sushi retailer was perfect. The 23-year-old's mum is Japanese and Lisa said she always loved cooking and preparing food.

When Sushi Girl started, Lisa was preparing 25 to 50 sushi rolls a day and visiting office after office for sales. Hundreds of hours and more than two years later, Lisa has extra hands helping at her Maroochydore kitchen and even a sushi rolling robot.

She found success in wholesale and now prepares upwards of 100 sushi rolls a day, selling to Coast companies like Duggans IGA.

The hard working youngster conceded her social life took the passenger seat in her busy schedule. Working six days a week (soon to be seven) and starting as early as 3 o'clock in the morning, Lisa said spending time with friends was often replaced with finding new clients, rolling sushi rolls and growing her company.

"Working all the time means I can't have days off, there are no holidays or even public holidays ... because people eat every day," she said.

"But I love it."

Later this month, Lisa will showcase her sushi at the inaugural Sunshine Coast Food Show, hosted at Novotel Twin Waters Resort.

The food show, held on February 20 and 21, is an opportunity for a wide range of producers on the Coast to put their skills on a platter.

They will rub shoulders with other exhibitors and thousands of visitors including MasterChef Australia judge, celebrity chef and restaurateur, George Calombaris.

Sunshine Coaster Wayne Bond will also be an exhibitor, showing off his chocolate fountains.

Wayne will have taste buds dripping with his display of what is literally fountains pumped full of chocolate.

Sunshine Chocolate Fountains is a company set up by Wayne to cater for parties across south-east Queensland, delivering rental fountains for kids' birthday parties, christenings, bat mitzvahs, school graduations, sporting team celebrations and all events for chocolate lovers.

While Wayne said he'd heard of some strange dipping preferences over the years (including prawns dripped in a chocolate fountain at a wedding), he assured only delicious marshmallows would be available at the food show for visitors to try.
 
 
AT A GLANCE
Gala Dinner
When: 7pm, Saturday February 20
Where: Lily's on the Lagoon Restaurant, Novotel Twin Waters Resort, Mudjimba
Price: $195 per person

Sunshine Coast Food Show
When: Midday to 4pm, Sunday February 21
Where: Wandiny Room, Novotel Twin Waters Resort, Mudjimba
Price: $49 adult, $25 child

See the full details for the Sunshine Coast Food Festival or check out what else is happening this weekend on the Sunshine Coast by viewing Finda's What's On This Weekend guide.