A Nowra chef is thrilled to have opened the doors of his new restaurant in Kinghorn Street after successfully obtaining a 189 Visa which will allow his family to permanently live and work in Australia.

The former head chef at the North Nowra Tavern, and founder of Two Brown Men eatery at East Nowra, Ayush Chobra, this week opened his new, larger restaurant and take-away on the ground floor of the Quest apartments building.

Ayush said, after experiencing lengthy hold-ups with his Visa, he recently approached Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips, who liaised with the Australian Department of Home Affairs to have his application processed.

As a result, Ayush and his wife Manisha and their two children, aged six and two years, were able to remain in Australia, and Ayush was able to expand his business.

With visas approved, the couple was also finally able to visit family members in India for the first time since the Covid-19 lockdowns.

“After waiting so long, it was great to finally have my visa application processed,” he said.

“Now we have been able to expand to a bigger shop and we look forward to being part of the local community and creating employment opportunities.

“I have had very great support from the community over the past two years, and will continue to support charity organisations, like the Bearded Fisherman Blokes Group, and school fundraisers. I have also hosted year 11 hospitality students from Bomaderry High School.”

Ayush moved to Victoria from India 14 years ago and, after losing his job during Covid-19, the family moved to Nowra in 2020.

He worked as the head chef at North Nowra Tavern before starting his own business, Two Brown Men, at East Nowra in 2022.

The new, larger Two Brown Men restaurant opened in Kinghorn Street on Sunday night and offers a fusion of Indian and Australia cuisine, including butter chicken burgers, Bombay lamb burgers and butter chicken Parmies.

Mrs Phillips congratulated the family on their visa success and wished every success with his new restaurant.

“It’s so great to be able to help where we can with their visa applications,” Mrs Phillips said.

“This is a really great success story for a wonderful family that is providing the people of Nowra with a fabulous eatery, while also supporting our community.

“I look forward to welcoming Ayush and Manisha as new Australia citizens in the near future.”

Two Brown Men restaurant is open for lunch Wednesday to Saturday and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday.