Plant based foods can be just as delicious as traditional meals that have meat in them, as well they are in fact healthy and well rounded with plenty of protein and micro nutrients. Did you know that all protein originally comes from plants? As nitrogen from the air is needed to create amino acids and only plants can create this process. So there is no need to worry about not getting enough protein, just eat fruits and vegetables that are all the colours of the rainbow and you will be perfectly fine. The myth about plants not having enough protein comes from the meat and dairy industry brainwashing you. As well the Canadian Government recently reduced the amount of dairy they suggest that you eat daily by taking servings of it off the food pyramid.
In this article we got to speak with a local North Vancouver based chef named Aoife Carroll who is a rock star at making plants taste amazing through her business called Flourish Cuisine. We first got to chatting with her on Instagram where we meet so many wonderful talented locals. Check out what she had to say below about her business and cooking vegan food.
How did you get started with your business and what do you like about operating in North Vancouver?
I am the founder and creator of Flourish Cuisine, a plant based website and instagram account where I share my love for food, sustainability and zero waste living. I have been a chef for four years now and vegan for two and creating and developing recipes has always been my favourite thing to do.
Flourish Cuisine had been on the back burner for the past year and had been a project I was very passionate about for a long time. It was only three weeks ago that I officially launched the website and I am delighted it is now out there for people to use and see.
North Vancouver is a fantastic place to live a vegan lifestyle as there are such great local markets, amazing bulk buys like Bulk Barn and great options when it comes to vegan goods in supermarkets like Larry’s and Foxy Farm Market in Lower Lonsdale.
I hope to see Flourish Cuisine grow into a reliable platform for people (vegan and not vegan) to use and get inspiration from as they like. I can not wait to continue sharing my passion and show people how rewarding little eco-changes to your lifestyle can be.
What are the products, services and brands that you offer to customers?
Flourish Cuisine offers weekly plant based recipes, sweet and savoury. I use my instagram account to make videos daily so people get a better insight and feel for the recipe. Last week I was demonstrating how to grow your own sourdough starter/mother and turn that mother into beautiful sourdough bread and rye bread. This week I just shared a video on how to make healthier carrot cake donuts with whipped vanilla frosting.
I also share how myself and my partner try and live a zero waste life and try to maintain a plastic free home. As I said bulk buys are fantastic, not only for dry goods but for soaps, detergents and beauty bits! Over the next couple of months I will be launching my YouTube Channel Flourish Cuisine. This will be the platform where I can produce content that is much more personal and showcases more of our sustainable lifestyle. We most certainly are not perfect but we try out best when possible to live sustainably.
During this uncertain time in North Vancouver, with restaurants, coffee shops and our usual hangout spots being closed, I have created a Flourish Cuisine Take away menu. A dish a day is prepared and either collected between an allocated time or delivered within the community. All of these meals are made with the freshest local ingredients and made in a foodsafe environment. I would love to be able to create new meals each week depending on demand.
If our readers want to purchase products or services from you what is the best way for them to do so?
To order meal delivery or collection online I have created a Flourish Cuisine Takeaway Menu and section on my blog (link below). In a couple of simple steps you can choose and pay for your plant based meal and we can arrange collection or delivery. This website also is home to all the plant based recipes that I post.
Before operating your local business what were you doing for work or a career?
Before Flourish Cuisine I was a private chef on super yachts. This job was so rewarding but can be completely consuming at the same time. For two years I cooked for a lovely Australian family on their 46M sailing yacht, we cruised the world and visited some amazingly remote places. It was great getting to combine exploring the world while also doing what I loved.
The second super yacht I worked on just last year was a 40M sailing yacht, this yacht was heavily chartered and slept up to 11 guests. We did over 13 charters over a 6 month period, it was incredibly busy but also as I said so rewarding seeing people enjoy my food amongst stunning scenic backdrops.
Outside of operating your business what do you get up to for activities in your personal time?
When I am not talking about food or photographing food I am usually out on the trails. I love to trail run and get out into nature for the day. Myself and my partner have set some pretty adventurous challenges for ourselves. We love to train, see our improvements and hopefully conquer the challenges at the same time.
In November 2019, myself and my partner completed our 1st multi-day trail run trip. We flew in to Mallorca, a beautiful Island in the Balearic Islands in Spain and ran from the south to the north of the island over a four day period. 140km distance, almost 6000m in elevation and 3.5 days to do it. It was a great accomplishment.
Yoga is also another passion, most mornings I get on my mat and try to start the day right.
Lastly, is there anything else you might want our readers to know about you or your business?
Flourish Cuisine is a healthy, wholesome local take away where people can get delicious dinners delivered to their doors 6 nights of the week. Everything is made with the most amount of care. I have cooked fine dining for the extremely wealthy for years but my dream would be to share plant based cooking with a wide community of people.
For more information you can visit the website or connect with them using social media on Instagram and YouTube.
Customer service – flourish.cuisine.chef@gmail.com or 236.335.8691
