Empty Plates: Recent Episodes
Bare Kitchen
Empty Plates is a podcast about food + memory created by Bare Kitchen and hosted by Chef and Researcher Anjli Vyas. In each episode, we’ll be joined by a diverse array of change makers, leaders and thinkers --- Together we will reflect on 3 plates of food that have shaped and impacted their life. Visit: www.Bare.KitchenFollow @BareKitchen on Instagram
In this episode, Anjli speak with Pranoy Thipaiah, a fifth-generation coffee farmer, about the journey from land to cup. We explore coffee as both ritual and global commodity, unpack the complexities of supply chains, and discuss how a new generation of Indian farmers are redefining quality, storytelling, and routes to market.
In this week's episode Anjli speaks to Bettina Campolucci Bordi,
Bettina is a phenomenal self -taught chef, author and she also runs a retreat chef academy.
Bettina works across the plant based food scene from training wellness chefs, to advocating for sustainable proteins with the likes of Baxterstorey and Chefs Manifesto!
Her story of how she entered the food industry is one of following intuition it seems and letting life guide you into the next stage.
Bettina seamlessly manages to demonstrate that a chef doesn't just wear one hat - they can and should align their values to their food vision, and in doing so they can actually cultivate a space where they are giving in a way that keeps them feeling full (no pun intended).
In this episode we speak to holistic movement coach, Ahmed Jaffer. Ahmed's approach to health is focused on building alignment through posture and internal awareness. He works with clients to help them discover themselves through exercise.
In this episode we will touch on perceptions of physical health inside the South Asian community and how he is paving a way to create safe spaces for people of color to experience a fitter version of their bodies and minds.
Ahmed is a know coach across London and actively works to encourage and enhance the relationship between body, mind and movement.
Trigger Warning | We must advise that today's episode may trigger some listeners and we will talk in depth about body dysmorphia and mental health.
Follow Ahmed in Instagram at Jaffa_Cake
In this episode we shall be speaking with two incredibly esteemed doctors who are actively working to empower the population to choose better health and choice through education
NHS GP, Author and Food Influencer Dr Chintal Patel, Chintal is a NHS GP based in the bustling heart of Central London with over 20 years clinical practice and she is also the the Dr behind Dr Chintal's Kitchen where she teaches families the basics to prepare easy and nutritious meals together.
Dr. Sumi Baruah is an experienced and passionate General Practitioner, Certified Health Coach and NHS Clinical Entrepreneur with a strong interest in preventative medicine and the CEO and founding member of Culinary Medicine UK, an organisations that Teaches healthcare professionals how to translate nutrition into clinical practice' **CMUK’s platforms assists both clinicians and patients in making informed food choices that positively impact prevention of disease and their outcomes.
Learn more about Culinary Medicine UK
Visit www.culinarymedicineuk.org Follow | culinarymedicineuk on Instagram Follow| Dr Chintal in Instagram Visit her website | www.drchintalskitchen.com**
**Today, we are speaking to Anshu Ahuja, Co Founder of DabbaDrop, a pioneer of London meal subscription services. DabbaDrop is a female owned vegan subscription takeaway service, delivering homestyle South Asian Food.
Founded in 2018 in East London by Anshu Ahuja and Renee Williams, two Hackney neighbourhood friends who bonded over their love of cooking. Both were keen to build a business to fit around family life, alongside making a difference to the planet for future generations.**
This company has shown what it takes to remain authentic to its roots whilst paving a route to market that would be considered modern with a twist.
Inspired by Anshu’s heirloom family recipes from all over South Asia, and the famous Dabba Wala system in Mumbai,
DabbaDrop delivers zero waste plant based dinners to 50+ postcodes across London, and is proud to be LONDON'S first and only plastic and emissions free takeaway.
www.dabbadrop.co.uk/
In this episode we speak Dev Sharma, an 18-year-old Youth MP and founding youth campaigner at Bite Back, currently chairing the UK Parliament's first-ever youth inquiry into the cost of living.
Campaigning to challenge the injustices of the food system, his activism includes delivering a Charter to No.10 and advising companies on food policy.
Recognised with the Diana Award and UK Parliament Award, his work has been at the forefront against junk food advertising online, with his open letter, supported by Jamie Oliver and other large food charities leading to a govt ban on such advertising.
www.devsharma.co.ukwww.biteback2030.com
This special series is a delicious deep dive into the worlds of South Asians working across diverse intersections in food and culture in the UK and that are informing educating and serving society through their work.
The idea for this series was born from a deep curiosity to examine and understand what it means to be of South Asian ancestry and working in food & culture.
We are looking at how our lives as immigrants, often refugee, 1st, 2nd & 3rd gen diaspora lives have patterned the way we see the world of food. This series provides a moment to reflect on journeys taken, futures dreams and lives lived.
Empty Plates Podcast is written & hosted by Anjli Vyas
Anjli is a South Asian chef, food researcher & strategist.
Based in London, she runs a critical food design studio that is focused on food strategy and innovation. The foundation of her practice is underpinned by the need to create equitable food solutions that support people, planet & produce.
Follow the Empty Plates PodcastFollow Anjli Vyas
Website our website
**In this episode we speak Kirk Haworth, an incredibly esteemed chef, mental health activist and a leading voice in plant based food, and most recently as the first plant-based chef to ever compete on the Great British Menu.
If you know of plant based food, in London, or pretty much anywhere, you will know of him. He makes vegetables look phenomenal - showing them as the primary on the plate! He has made many of us question whether meat has a place on the menu at all. Kirk has worked with incredible restaurants such as The French Laundry, Restaurant Sat Bains and the Quay**
It was in 2016 , when Kirk was diagnosed with Lyme disease - that he began to dig deep into the medical impact and benefits of food - which he now creatively explores through Plates - a boundary pushing Plant based restaurant and creative food studio. Kirk is also passionate mental health activist and runs training and education through Hospitality wellness
https://plates-london.com
In this episode we are speaking to Lucy Vincent, Founder of the Food Behind Bars
Food Behind bars is the UK’s only charity dedicated to transforming prison food. Improving the lives of the people eating it, supporting the people making it. The charity is focused on positively impacting the health and wellbeing of prisoners, by delivering practical food-based education, promoting healthy eating and designing radical food initiatives across the UK’s HM prison network.
Lucy is a trained journalist and activist, her work is focused on spotlighting the connection between mental health, environment and food within prison environments, and providing inmates with not only skills, but the basic rights of access to healthy food that promotes great inclusivity and positive well being.
You can learn more about their work here
www.foodbehindbars.co.uk
www.instagram.com/foodbehindbars
In this episode we speak to Shilo Shiv Suleman, a multi disciplinary South Asian artist, activist, visionary and mystical general warrior.Shilo Shiv Suleman is an Indian contemporary artist. Her work encompasses illustration and installation art. Shilo's practice focuses on the intersection of magical realism, art for social change and technology. She is the founder and director of the Fearless Collective, a South Asia based public arts organisation. Fearless Collective is a South Asia based public arts organisation & charity that works to empower women, especially in marginalised communities, by reclaiming and transforming public spaces through the creation of art. To date, they have worked in 15 countries, painted over 40 murals and are growing into a movement across South Asia
In most recent years, she's been engaging with biofeedback technology, and the interaction between the body and art. She has created large scale installations that beat with your heart, apps that react to your brainwaves and sculptures that glow with your breath. She has also designed installations for some of the world's biggest festivals and conferences including Burning Man.
You can can follow her work here
www.Instagram.com/shiloshivsuleman
http://shiloshivsuleman.in
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In this weeks we speak to Chanda Vyas as the UK’s first Hindu female priest. She plays multiple roles as a mother, daughter, wife, grandmother, neighbour, feminist, LGBTQ advocate. Chanda breaks the glass ceiling of what it means to be a female community leader.
She continues to creatively adapt and evolve ancient wisdom, making it accessible and understandable to everyone. She enables the youth to understand their spirituality, empowers marginalised communities to use their voice and most importantly holds space for people to feel equal.
She has worked with and supported multiple local government organisations, charities and initiatives, service in the community is at the heart of her being. She believes community spirit is the spirituality that allows humanity to not only survive but to thrive.
(She is also Anjli's mother)
www.kesri.co.uk
https://www.instagram.com/chanda.vyas.5
How do you know what you cannot see? A short essay about our hidden internal experiences that subconsciously shape our everyday. #Thoughtsonfood
In this episode Anjli speaks to none other than Carolyn Steel. Carolyn Steel is a leading thinker on food and cities. Her first book, Hungry City, received international acclaim, establishing her as an influential voice in a wide variety of fields across academia, industry and the arts. A London-based architect, academic and writer, Carolyn has lectures across prestigious institutions and organisations. Her most recent book Sitopa - How Food can save the world is is an excavation of how our world is shaped by food and how our search and consumption of it has defined the human journey. https://twitter.com/carolynsteel / https://www.instagram.com/carolynsteel.sitopia / https://www.carolynsteel.com/
In this episode we speak Martin Allen Morales. Martin is an award winning Peruvian restaurateur and the founder of the incredible restaurant group Ceviche; that houses both Ceviche and Andina. During this episode we touch on his beautiful story of how found home through the tales and recipes from the women in his family. As well as being a phenomenal chef, cookbook author, he is also an avid record collector. He has most recently founded, 2N Management a circular economy focused management consultancy where the main aim is to transform behaviour and increase conscious consumption.
https://www.instagram.com/martinmoralesceviche
https://www.cevichefamily.com/martin-morales/about-martin
https://2n.management/
In this episode we speak to Jess Latchford, the founder of Waste Knot - an organisation that is on a mission to tackle food waste by rescuing surplus vegetables out of farmers’ fields and putting them into use in chefs' kitchens. Jess has been involved in the fresh produce industry for over a decade. And as well as WAGING A WAR ON WASTE. She is also Ensuring farmers are paid and receive commercial value for their incredible produce.
https://www.wasteknot.org.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/wasteknotuk/
https://www.instagram.com/jesslatchford/
In this episode we speak to the author, wellness expert and chai extraordinaire Mira Manek. Mira is an author of two books, a beautiful Gujarati inspired cookbook Saffron Soul and Prajna - a book on Ayurvedic Rituals for Happiness. She has hosted a huge array of events from supper-clubs to wellbeing talks and runs her own retreats. Mira is also a certified integrative health practitioner and therapist. Her incredible journey into food is a life-long quest connected heavily to her love of travel and her ancestral home of India.
https://www.instagram.com/miramanek/https://miramanek.com/
In this episode we speak to leading food policy expert, Gavin Wren. Gavin is researcher, food systems consultant, writer, editor and coffee connoisseur. He is the founder of Wren & Co, a creative food systems consultancy that is focused on finding innovative solutions to solving complex problems. In 2020, he also founded Quota Media, a media organisation that is focused on delivering global news on the subject of food security. He also has a huge following on Tik Tok, where he is the platform's self-proclaimed ‘Food Policy Expert’ and recently hit a staggering 1 million views. Follow Gavin on: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gavin.wren / Quota Media https://quota.media/ / https://twitter.com/gavinwren
In this episode we explore the culinary history of Douglas McMaster, a thought leader on zero waste cooking and sustainable living. He is the founder of Silo, the UK's first zero waste restaurant in Hackney. He has worked at 20 restaurants globally including the infamous St Johns, Heston Blumenthal’s renowned the Fat Duck, and of course Noma, in Copenhagen. Doug has been exposed to a wide array of food influences and education throughout his life many of which give him a particular and powerful perspective.
In this episode, it's time for a story. We unearth the story of how empty plates came about, we go back in time and understand why empty plates are such an important of our lives, and how many of them go ignored. We look at the defining moment when Anjli realised the significance and value of this moment.
Welcome to Empty Plates, a podcast by Bare Kitchen
Join us on a journey of food and memory,
In each episode, we examine, explore and reflect on 3 plates of food that have shaped and impacted the journeys of some incredible guestsBare Kitchen is a digital storytelling platform that brings together the sensory relationship between humans and food.
Visit www. Bare.Kitchen
Follow on Instagram @BareKitchen
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