Empty Plates (Anjli Vyas)

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

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 Podcast
Follow Anjli Vyas
Website our website 

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.uk
www.biteback2030.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 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

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 speak to Poorva Joshipura,  Senior Vice President of International Affairs for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) about the perception of veganism, animals as food, domestication, planetary health, human health, ethics and of course what it means to consume food? 

Poorva Joshipura is an  key voice in vegan ethics and culture and esteemed author as we as an advisor for different organizations that protect domesticated work animals used for work in India and Jordan 

Her book first book 'For A Moment Of Taste: How What You Eat Impacts Animals, The Planet And Your Health' is an in-depth exposé of what happens to animals commonly used for meat, eggs and dairy foods in India

Her new book called  ‘Survival at Stake: How Our Treatment of Animal is Key to Human Existence’ examines the links between global crisis and poor treatment of animals - she links this to  pandemics, epidemics, antibiotic resistance and climate change.

From being an undercover investigator to an award winning global leading  voice in animal rights, Poorva is a regular guest on television news and radio shows through which she encourages viewers and listeners to be considerate to animals. 

In this weeks episode Anjli speaks to Mallika Basu. Mallika is a writer, commentator and board adviser in the food &  hospitality industry. 

Be ready for some fast paced, straight forward conversation on the semantics of APPROPRIATION vs APPRECIATION and a deep dive into supermarket equity!

With two published cookbooks, she writes an award-nominated newsletter More than Curry covering the link between food, people and planet.

Malika, also delivers key cultural training on cultural appropriation, diversity, representation labels which she has delivered to organisations including Penguin Random House, Jamie Oliver Group, Tesco, Greggs and Waitrose. 

Website | mallikabasu.com
Instagram | instagram.com/mallikabasu

Today, Anjli is speaking to Chandani Kaur Kohli, founder of Biskut Bar, the first premium Punjabi biscuit company building a sustainable biscuit dreamland. 

So in this episode we will be talking about episode to AUTHENTICY, looking at how independent producers weave their core brand message through the web of sales, marketing and above trend, to ensure that they and their products align to the core values and principles of their brands DNA.

Their offerings reimagine the bold aromatics of South Asia into cookie treats with recipes uniquely developed using single-variety spices and nuts that promote biodiversity and regenerative farming. 

Their  award-winning flavour bombs are seeded in celebration, Ayurveda and heritage and they invite  us to “Mind the planet. Eat biskuts. And have a fun!”

Visit Biskut Bar
Follow them on IG at instagram.com/biskutbar

In this episode Anjli speaks to Dhilon Devji, the founder of Dhils  the creator of the Vegan Seekh Kebab. "Irresistibly Meaty, Unbelievably Vegan" and the new appointed creator of the UK's best vegan kebab.

Dhils story is a fascinating one, having spotted a gap in the market for South Asian flavour and culturally relevant alternative protein brands and syncing this desire with his scientific knowledge to create a 2D protein all from the comfort of his make shift home kitchen during Covid. 

To now, in 2025 to running a leading vegan food business in the UK that has paved away for South Asian kebabs! Vegan adults  represent 4.7% of the population in the UK, however we face an ever present challenge of is being a vegan eating alternative protein, respecting animals and just eating more plants. There are no rules that fit all, however Dhil's personal journey provides a view that anchors him and his brand in authenticity. By creating a culturally relevant vegan product, he discusses journey of sales, demand and growth. 

This episode dives into what it takes to stay a relevant in a the plant based world! 

Visit: www.Dhils-Eats.Com
Instagram: www.instagram.dhils.eats

In this week's episode Anjli speaks to Dharmesh & Enna Lakhani, the co-owners of the Bobby’s,  established in 1976, it is one of the UK’s first Indian restaurants, nestled on a bustling corner of Belgrave Road in Leicester. 

Building a restaurant is in many cases can be a pipedream, and for those who manage to get to opening day and live our there dream they quickly realise the next challenges are a mixture of staying relevant, balancing the cash-cows from and question marks and avoiding burn out. 

Like most business owners, an independent restaurant is a job we take home, in some cases it’s  the family business that the kids learn through and hopefully they might even take it over!

This episode really dives into what it means to build a restaurant legacy that is  focused on scaling community not sites!

Follow on Instagram| www.instagram.com/eatatbobbys

Visit | www.bobbys-restaurant.co.uk

Bobby’s Restaurant - Leicester

EST 1976
🍲 | Serving authentic Indian vegetarian food
📞 | 0116 266 2448

Belgrave Road, Leicester, United Kingdom LE4 5AT

In this week's episode Anjli speaks to Chef Lauren Lovat, Lauren's not only a chef she's a food artist, author and the founder of Plant Academy -  an incredibly successful  plant-based cooking school. 

If you think of Raw food in London, there are a few key people that come to mind then Lauren is definitely one of them. So today's discussion explores Laurens personal journey with plant based food, as well as discussing some pivotal life changing plates of food such as donkey Carrots. Laurens shares anicodes from her curious experimentation at the age of 10, to her personal mental health struggles and into finding her path in plant based.

Her journey in food is very much about listening to subtle voices that kept reminding her of her relationship with plants.  

Lauren’s first book is  inspired by how we can cook with plants and tonic herbs to change our state of mind. She also recently launched her new book Planet Academy which as the name suggests is a book focused on all how to prepare the plant basics and also how to elevate them with Lauren’s touch 

Most recently Lauren has been splitting her time between the UK and Bali where she is currently the culinary instructor at Alchemy Bali.

Website: LaurenLovatt.com

Visit Plant Academy 

Follow her on Instagram/laurenlovatt

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 guests

Bare Kitchen is a digital storytelling platform that brings together the sensory relationship between humans and food.

Visit www. Bare.Kitchen
Follow on Instagram @BareKitchen

Copyright © 2021 Bare Kitchen

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.  

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 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 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 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 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 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 Sitopia - 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. 

15:50 Baby chocolate mousse

16.37Saturday night curry with dad

20.49Summer dinners in our family hotel & the Tolkins

41.24Birthday Melanzane for everyone

twitter.com/carolynsteel
instagram.com/carolynsteel.sitopia
www.carolynsteel.com/

How do you know what you cannot see? A short essay about our hidden internal  experiences that subconsciously shape our everyday.  #Thoughtsonfood

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

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

Follow Bare Kitchen on Instagram

In this episode we are speaking to Lucy Vincent, Founder of  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