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.
