Saima Thompson was just 26 when she took a punt and opened a restaurant in South East London.

Her mum Nabeela - a brilliant cook - had struggled to make ends meet since the breakdown of her marriage. So Saima found a spot, transformed it on a shoestring budget and the rest is history. 

The award-winning Masala Wala Cafe is an institution, winning awards and legions of dedicated fans. 

But last year, Saima had to step away from running the restaurant when she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Her mum and sisters stepped in to run it instead. 

Now Saima writes on her Curry and Cancer blog and campaigns for better representation - both for those cancers considered 'taboo', and of BAME people living with cancer who are left out of the narrative in discussions about the disease. 

Here, we discuss how Masala Wala Came about and how it came close to closing following Saima's diagnosis, the undervaluing of 'brown people' food and - shock horror - Saima reveals she doesn't like avocado. You can follow Saima here. 

Get Back In The Kitchen is a podcast about women in food. It celebrates everyone from those running world-famous kitchens to those providing brilliant food on a smaller scale. it also looks at issues facing women working in food.

It's run by Melissa Thompson, a journalist-turned-pop up cook, who now runs food & recipe project Fowl Mouths Food. 

You can follow her at @fowlmouthsfood and the podcast at @getbackinthekitchen.