S Haslam
The new place in Mullum with the funky wooden kids’ playground is The Rainbow Kitchen, the first 100 per cent plant-based/vegan cafe in Mullumbimby, offering ‘heart-centred love-based’ food. But owners Angel and Gopala see it, together with the Rainbow Centre yoga studio behind, becoming much more.
‘We will also offer exciting social events and revolutionary weekly concerts, documentary screenings, panel discussions, charity events and more to share knowledge, and empower and raise awareness so we can make more informed choices as individuals and as a community,’ says Angel.
The beautiful cow picture on the wall reminds Angel of her friend Daisy (a cow). ‘My granddad was a beef farmer, and when I was 12 I hand-reared a calf. Next holidays I asked after it, and Granddad laughed and said, “Look in the freezer”. That led to my becoming a vegetarian,’ said Angel.
‘But it wasn’t until I was breastfeeding that I suddenly realised that we were treating our cow Daisy as a resource, rather than a being – her milk was for her baby, and my milk for my baby. As soon as I had that realisation, I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t had that idea sooner.
‘That was almost seven years ago. As soon as we realised that, the whole family embraced it and started finding other healthy alternatives. I used to be a chef many years ago, and we started sharing recipes with friends on social media and now it’s all fallen into place for us.’
Angel is not into guilt-tripping non-vegans, though. ‘I want so show people how easy it is. How much colour and vibrancy, excitement, and fun we can get. Vegan food is good for your cells; you’ll get the benefit just from the diet. You don’t have be vegan; that might come next or it might not, if it doesn’t work for you,’ says Angel.
The Rainbow Kitchen cafe will be opening soon, and when it does it will also be offering unique cooking classes, masterclasses, and the latest nutritional information so you can easily and confidently learn how to live and love a plant-based lifestyle.
rainbowcentre.com.au
62 Stuart St,
Mullumbimby
