Jules combines food, cultural traditions and her love of our local community in her restaurant and uses every opportunity to give back and provide for others, through regularly partnering with local charities to host fundraising Mesangkepan dinners, and providing meals to families and people in need through local community organisations.

The Mesangkepan dinners are hosted by Balinese Spice every few months, with all food, wages and time donated by Ms Mitry so that all the proceeds of the evening can go directly to local charities and organisations.

Mesangkepan means ‘get together’ in Bali, and Ms Mitry is proud to share this cultural tradition with the community, of people from all walks of life coming together to work towards a common goal.

Some of the organisations who have been assisted by the Mesangkepan dinners recently are Southern Youth and Family Services, SAHSSI, Women Illawarra and Kind Hearts Illawarra – as well as Project Nasi in Bali, providing bare essentials to communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Scully said that he had been struck by Ms Mitry’s commitment and dedication to providing for others in the community, particularly throughout the COVID pandemic.

“Even through the lockdowns of COVID and the stress that the pandemic placed on her business, Jules consistently made sure that she was doing all she could to provide for people in our community who were struggling financially or sleeping rough.

“I’ve been lucky enough to attend a number of the Mesangkepan dinners that Jules runs, and I know how much that support assists local charities and organisations who are trying to stretch their resources to help as many people as possible”, Mr Scully said.

Ms Mitry moved to Australia from Bali when she was 17 years old and lived with a sponsor family in the Illawarra. Her experiences as a child in Bali led her to want to feed the hungry in her community, and Ms Mitry wants to provide similar opportunities to others like the opportunities she had after moving to the Illawarra.

“Jules displays some of the quintessential traits of the Illawarra through her respect for cultural traditions stemming from her migrant heritage combined with her desire to support people who are doing it tough.

“Jules’ attitude towards giving back to her community so that others can have the same opportunities that she was afforded, is one that we are lucky to see so often in Wollongong – and part of what makes Wollongong such a great place to live.

“Using local produce from local providers, employing staff from the local area and creating a family environment in the restaurant, and using all of that to be able to give back to the community in such a meaningful way, is why it is fitting that Jules has been named the 2023 Wollongong Local Woman of the Year”, Mr Scully said.