Concepta's Studio

06/02/2026

Quick Durban curry fact:
In South Africa, the potatoes used in curry are nicknamed “gravy soakers” 🤩 because they soak up all that rich, spicy gravy so perfectly. 🥔🔥

The classic potato used is the Up-to-Date potato (often called UTD), an heirloom variety developed in Scotland in 1894 and loved in South African curry cooking.

I’ve never quite found the same potato here in the U.S., but russet potatoes are the closest I’ve come. Not exactly the same… but the best I can do to still bring that Durban curry flavor to the table. 😊

05/31/2026

The debut Durban Curry Experience on June 9th has officially sold out. ❤️

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first opened the table for this new series.
To see this first evening fill so quickly has been incredibly meaningful.

Because of the response, I’ve opened the second dinner date early:
✨ Tuesday, June 30, 2026
📍 Bayview Point Event Center, Belfast

The Durban Curry Experience is not traditional restaurant dining. It’s an intentionally intimate evening built around communal tables, Durban curry, storytelling, ocean views, and connection through food.

Seats remain limited. Reserve your seat here: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLXJH786QZ68W/checkout/3ZU6RJCA7I7PVRLROXUXW2WS

Thank you for supporting this quiet revolution of love, culture, and community around the table.

05/30/2026

It always warms my heart to see these reviews. ♥️

05/28/2026

This week, PenBay Pilot featured the story and vision behind Concepta’s Studio and the growing Durban Curry Experience here in Maine.

As a fourth-generation Indian from South Africa, it means so much to see Durban curry and our culture being recognized here — especially because this cuisine is so rare outside of South Africa.
Thank you to everyone who has supported this journey so far.❤️

Ps: Sunday dinners have now become Tuesday dinners 😉

https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/how-one-woman-bringing-south-african-and-indian-spices-and-curries-belfast/270024

BELFAST — Concepta, who goes by her first name, is a fixture at the United Farmers Market of Maine in Belfast every Saturday. Behind the hot bar where she serves up chicken curry, minced beef curry, and lentil and potato curry, all over white rice, she is a one-woman powerhouse, selling out of her...

05/26/2026

From market Saturdays to the waterfront table ✨
Just over a year ago, I started serving South African Indian food at the farmers market in Belfast, Maine. Since then, one of the questions I hear almost every weekend is:
“Where can we sit down for the full experience?”
So… here it is.

The Durban Curry Experience is an intimate dinner series, hosted at Bayview Point Event center overlooking Belfast Harbor.

These evenings are designed around the way I grew up eating in Durban, South Africa:
shared dishes, bold curries, sambals and chutneys on the table, conversation flowing, and food bringing people together.
Expect:
🌊 ocean views
🍛 family-style Durban curry
✨ communal tables

This is not a restaurant opening — it’s a limited-seat dining experience created to share Durban curry in a more immersive and meaningful way.

The debut dinner is June 9th and tickets are now live.

Seats are intentionally limited. See ticket link in bio.

05/21/2026

Love this crew!!

Thank you Lori for these great photos!

05/21/2026

This is coming up soon! Sunday May 31st. You can still register online at conceptasstudio.com.

Start off prepping a delicious curry then spend some time releasing that inner creative and we end feasting together. Curry and art….couldn’t ask for a better combo!

05/17/2026

Taking it all in…. ☀️