She is a sushi obsessed vegan pastry chef and
recipe developer. She has been in this field for almost 3 years now and
presently founder of the bakery An Ode to Gaia. Tofu, her kitten, loves to
explore just as much as she does. When she is not travelling she enjoys
spending time in the studio developing recipes.
What made you go vegan? How was your transition?
I was working out a lot and I just wanted a fitter body, muscles and whatnot. It was around 2015 when I was looking for the healthiest way to fuel my body. Since I am lactose intolerant, I wasn't consuming dairy products for a year already. In addition to this, I had read about how a dairy farm works and the torture happening there. It was already in the back of my mind that if I can quit dairy, I can quit other animal products too. My whole life, I always wanted to become vegetarian or vegan. But I didn't have the strength to take the plunge. I was very young and being in boarding school, I never had a lot of options. Later, when I moved to London, I became dairy-free. There were a lot of alternatives and it didn't feel like a chore because I didn't always have time to make things at home, so it was quite easy to become vegan while at university.
I started with one vegan meal a day. I watched Earthlings, Cowspiracy and other documentaries. Even after watching all that, it took me a lot of time to do it. For me, it wasn't an overnight thing. During one week, all the breakfasts would be vegan. Then, another week I would have all vegan lunches. Gradually, I started having a lot more vegan meals. Then I considered becoming a pescetarian, but it just didn’t feel right. That was the time I realised it’s either vegan or nothing.
Another excuse for me to not go vegan was nutrition and protein sources. I educated myself about it. I didn't feel good about eating meat, both mentally and physically. It felt morally wrong. So with enough research and meal prepping, I finally took the plunge. This June marks four years of me being vegan and I feel really incredible.
I am vegan because an animal's life is not mine to take, especially for something as trivial as palate pleasure. I am vegan because the Earth does not belong to us, we belong to the Earth. By only taking, and not giving back we have reached a crisis point in terms of species extinction, climate change and our health. I am vegan because it is my moral responsibility as someone who can afford it, who can advocate for it and as someone who has the physical capabilities to buy and cook plant-based.
How was it once you moved back to India?
It was really difficult because my family used to eat meat and dairy. I discovered brands like Sofit and Break of Dawn and started buying those products. Even my parents started using it. When I finally moved back for good in 2017, I was already vegan for more than a year. In the beginning, it was pretty difficult because I moved to a whole new country after a long period. I had to discover new brands, new supermarkets etc. I started experimenting more. I made my own cheese, white sauce pasta, cheesecake etc. Then brands like Cowvathi, SoftSpot Cheese also began. Over time, it became easier. I found Rare Earth and that changed my life. I discovered so many amazing vegan brands there. Nowadays, even your regular supermarkets have Tofu, soy milk, almond milk etc.
How was it in the family?
It was quite a bit of struggle. My grandma was a strict vegetarian. Whenever she used to see me eating meat, she would literally cry at times and taunt me a lot. After turning vegan she was very happy but she still consumes dairy. Now, I’m the one who educates her about the horrors of dairy. She knows I’m right, however, it’s been a difficult journey convincing my family since they are so accustomed to dairy.
It's quite difficult to see my family not adopting the lifestyle, especially since we cook a lot at home and it’s not difficult to access vegan meat alternatives. It bothers me a lot when I see people talking about climate change and still consuming meat and dairy even after knowing about the atrocities committed by such industries. Many people don't even try to be vegetarian, let alone vegan.
Now, I have a lot of amazing friends and family who are making the effort to educate themselves and try more vegan meals. Even if they aren’t fully vegan, they are on the way to being. That's the most important part for me.
What is your approach while advocating for veganism?
The reason behind starting my brand is to
spread the word about veganism. Before that, I was doing activism on the
streets and among friends and family. If someone brings up the topic of global
warming or pollution, I would tell them how veganism is one of the major ways
to handle the climate crisis. I realised that many people want to go vegan but
they question what to eat.
We can't tell someone to go vegan without giving them an option. Not everyone wants to eat whole food. Some folks want to continue eating sugary desserts or chicken nuggets etc. If we can give them a healthier alternative, and no death involved, then I'm sure many would go for that. That's why I started making vegan desserts at home. I would often invitel my non-vegan friends for dinner and I would keep cook dishes like chicken Biryani or mutton Biryani, sausages, kheema etc. But everything was vegan and they didn't know. That's how I introduced mock meat, dairy-free cheese and yoghurt to my friends. Even on festive occasions, I would make vegan alternatives at home. I made various things like cheesecake, puddings, etc. That inspired me to create my brand and introduce vegan versions of dairy and egg heavy desserts.
Tell more about your brand.
Right now it is a traditional bakery making
desserts like macarons, celebration cakes, cookies and the likes. I was
making cheesecakes and cupcakes just for myself when I started attending
vegan potlucks to meet other like minded people. There was one particular
potluck where I took an oreo cheesecake. The folks there were obsessed with it.
Nobody was making vegan cheesecakes at that time. It was 3 years ago, around
2017. Everybody was making raw cheesecake or super healthy food. I think there
are many folks like me, who dont always choose health, but choose the
occasional indulgent options too.
That’s when I started experimenting with other desserts like cakes and macarons. I would take them to potlucks and I also used to post online. I was very much into food styling as well. Gradually I started getting orders almost every day. At that time I was doing it as a way to pass time. Then I had an exhibition at Otters club in Bandra and invited all the vegans I knew.. So many people came to the stall, a lot of people whom I've never met before. I sold out before anybody else, and that was truly truly surprising to me. Vegans here wanted a standard bakery experience like Monginis or Theobroma and indulge in rich desserts. No one goes to a bakery for healthy stuff. While I do have healthy desserts the focus was on indulgent desserts. And I think that’s the reason I have so many non-vegan customers too.
Most of my non-vegan customers don't even know that my products are vegan. When the box reaches them, there is a little vegan symbol on it. They call me, shocked and surprised that I didn’t disclose it’s vegan, however, once they eat it their minds change instantly. I don't explicitly say vegan anywhere on my website or instagram so as to not alienate the non vegan customers.
What is the reason or the strategy behind this?
I have realised that the word vegan turns people away. They see that if something is vegan, then it is not for them. People don't realise that vegan means any person can eat it, not just a vegan. If someone gives you Jain Pav Bhaji, you won't say, “I'm not Jain so I can't eat this”. I want to attract non-vegan customers more so that they look at veganism from a different angle. They should not perceive it in a threatening way. When people realise what veganism truly is, it becomes difficult for them to accept all the violence they contributed to. That’s why there is so much resistance from folks. The guilt and the shame, all the things I felt too, before I made the connection.
So when you provide them with something delicious and plant-based, they’re more likely to start introducing more vegan options.
Doesn't it become difficult for a vegan to get to know about your brand?
Vegans read ingredients everywhere. Even if something says vegan I read the ingredients. And I think most vegans do that. That's why I mention all the ingredients. When I have to target vegans, I also post about my products in vegan specific groups. Also, I talk a lot about vegan related topics be it animal rights, veganuary and various other things on my social media.
I also post various free recipes and teach workshops. When people ask me if they don't have almond milk, can they substitute it with cow milk, I always say no, cow milk doesn't work in this recipe and I don't recommend using it for so and so reason. So there is some activism as well as education in the way I conduct my workshops too.
Share your ups and downs in your bakery journey.
Overall it has been great. My brand is steadily growing. I haven't done any advertisement yet and everything so far has grown organically. Right from the beginning, a few main things that I have been doing are constantly posting on Instagram, sharing quality dishes which are aesthetically pleasing as well as delicious. I share recipes too. I have also been featured in a couple of magazines and newspapers. All this has helped my brand organically and steadily grow. It has also helped people see that veganism doesn't mean only eating veggie bowls or flaxseed crackers and jowar cakes. They can also have cheesecake, they can have macarons, puddings, entremets etc.
There have been some downs too. I wanted to make certain desserts but because it's vegan, there is no high fat vegan butter and cream available in india. That makes it difficult to replicate a lot of dairy and cream rich desserts. The other reason is it's really hot here, and most vegan butters melt fast. That's why delivery becomes an issue which I am always working to improve. I’ve also been developing an E-commerce platform which will make bookings and orders a smoother and quicker process.
Your brand name ‘An Ode to Gaia’ is quite curious. What’s the story behind it?
I didn't want to include the word vegan as well as Earth because so many brands have that in their names. But I wanted to talk about Earth because ultimately everything I do is for the Earth. So it just came to me that Gaia is the goddess of Earth. In my school days, I'd read a book called Revenge of Gaia. It was about natural disasters, climate change and how Earth fights back. Then I thought, I am vegan and my brand is vegan. It is a dedication to the Earth to be better. That's why I named it “An Ode to Gaia”. I know I could have chosen an easier two-syllable word, but this name feels apt now. My packaging also has slogans which say that earth is not ours to use. Even my customers read and realise this thought. We coexist with other animals and plants. We don't own it.
Because of arguments with friends and family, you might question your decision. What one thought keeps you up?
That I am working for a better future. The earth has given me all the things I have ever wanted. I have to do right by the Earth, the animals and myself. It's my duty to right my wrongs. My wrongs being that for so many years I wasn't vegan and it took me so long to do it. I have to undo the damage I did and make sure that I leave a better planet for the future generations. That's what keeps me going.