10/01/2024
Embracing Wellness: A Journey into the Heart of Holistic Living with Govinda Cator, visionary owner of Govinda Kitchen & Raw Yoga Studio in Malta 🌻
Join us as we explore the philosophies, inspirations, and transformative impact of embracing a vegan diet 🌱
✨MOTIVATION & VISION:
🌱What inspired you to start a vegan kitchen, and how does it align with your personal values?
The main reason is I was always hungry, LOL. Going to restaurants in Malta to eat with friends was always a sad story for me, I will never forget the day I ate lettuce with tomatoes as a main dish in a beef restaurant. I am and was considered the weird one, the crazy one, the one who needed to be fixed but inside myself I always feel so proud of being strong and committed to my beliefs.
I have this strong force inside me that says why would I eat dead bodies of animals who have suffered when I can eat delicious meals made of infinite flavours of veggies and fruits.
🌱Can you share your vision for how a vegan kitchen can contribute to changing the way people eat and impact climate change?
Well there is so much information nowadays of how eating meat is destroying our planet, basically the human race is going to be extinct the way we are going, the facts are urging us not to turn a blind eye to the pressing need for change.
With my kitchen I want to show people that it is possible to live a happier healthier life eating food fully made of plants, and for the ones that are willing to become vegan and are in a transition, we offer exceptional products that recreate the savoury flavours of meat without harming anyone.
✨BUSINESS JOURNEY
What challenges did you face when starting a vegan kitchen, and how did you overcome them?
It took me 6 years in Malta to finally feel the courage to open my dream kitchen, the frustration of every experience in a restaurant would motivate me to finally do it.
After I closed Raw Yoga Studio I was bored dreaming of a new challenge, on February 202, I rented a small space in San Gwann in shell form, I was so naive, I thought it would be ready in 3-4 months, it took me 14 months to finish. Workers didn't want to work, all delivery dates took 3 times more than expected, every day I would say I will stop now, I will not do it, but I was paying monthly rent, I already did the deposit for so many things, so there was no way I could get out of it. I just have to tell myself: Be patient, there is a reason why you have this desire in your heart just follow it.
🌱How has the response been from the community since you opened, and what lessons have you learned along the way?
All the vegans were so excited, and so many people open to the new options receive us with lots of love and support. I learnt I can try and try, but in the end I can not please everyone, as everyone has different tastes. But I am still trying to make an option for everyone.
✨MENU DEVELOPMENT
🌱 How do you approach creating a menu for your vegan kitchen that appeals to a wide range of customers?
I personally love Buddha Bowls, so my idea was creating different bowls inspired by different cuisines of the world. I love Indian, Mexican, Italian, Greek, etc. I used to live in London before I came to Malta, so there I tried for the first time so many types of cuisine that I never tried before, now I want to eat something different every day. My Buddha bowls were received well, but I never imagined that my best seller would be the Burgers, LOL, my husband keeps asking me how is the burger shop going to make fun of me, but I am open to anything now, if you want burger I have it, if you want pasta I have it, if you want a colourful buddha bowl I have it, the most important for me is that no one is ever hungry.
🌱 Are there specific culinary influences or themes that inspire your menu choices?
Definitely my mother’s cooking and the way Peruvians cook always makes masala at the beginning of the process of cooking, like Indians do, that is what gives flavour to every dish.
✨EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT:
🌱Have you encountered any misconceptions about veganism, and how do you address them within your business?
We have had some people that come to our shops asking: Where is the meat? And when we say: Well, we have meatballs, Shanti burger, and meaty options, they ask again but is it real meat? We said well it has the flavour of meat but it is made of plants, they get grumpy and leave. We just understand that for some people it is difficult to change their minds, but I want to have the opportunity for them to try and after trying deciding if they like it or not. No judgement.
✨IMPACT MEASUREMENTS:
🌱How do you measure the impact of your vegan kitchen in terms of changing eating habits and contributing to climate change awareness?
I see more people eating our vegan options and that makes me so happy. The other day a guy ordered ‘Chicken Curry’. After he had eaten it all, we asked how it was and he said it was so delicious and creamy. He then asked questions about our place and our recipes and we told him that all our recipes are vegan. He was surprised and asked: So the chicken I just ate was not meat but made of what? With a smile on our face, we explained that it's crafted from plants, primarily soy, and that it is very high in protein.
The revelation left him amazed, and to our delight, he's now a valued customer.
🌱Are there any success stories or notable changes you've observed in your customers' perspectives on plant-based eating?
I am so happy our chef Ruben has become fully vegan, I never pushed him to eat vegan, but he is very open to learn and try new things so it was natural and easy for him to naturally become a vegan. I told him that with him I feel my mission has been accomplished, if I could only change the mind of one person to realise being vegan is good for health and for the environment.
✨FUTURE GOALS:
🌱 What are your future goals for the vegan kitchen, both in terms of business expansion and furthering your mission?
As any other business owner I also dream of expanding, I would love to see a Govinda kitchen in every place of the world so everyone has the option of eating a healthy nutritious vegan meal made with love to nurture our bodies and souls respecting our planet.
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