Vegan wonders

Okapi, an Aldona-based tiffin service, is serving plant-based goodness to Goans.
They also cater for events

CHRISTINE MACHADO NT BUZZ

Aarti Sinha has always been a lover of animals, and her move from Mumbai to Goa in 2013 to spend more time in nature allowed her to immerse herself in this love. She began interacting more with the animals around her.

“It started with stray dogs, then moved to cats, cows, and even pigs. It didn’t take long for me to realise that they aren’t different from each other. We just have to open our eyes,” she says.

One incident, however, stayed with her—seeing an injured calf on the road. “We called an NGO for help, and while trying to restrain the calf for treatment, its mother refused to leave its side,” she recalls. That moment was a turning point. “Realising that a 950-billion-dollar dairy industry rests on the shoulders of this cruelty, it didn’t take me long to give up meat and slowly remove dairy from my diet too,” she says.

But finding good plant-based food wasn’t easy. “I wanted to make vegan food more accessible to my community,” says Sinha. This, coupled with her love for feeding family and friends, led the self-taught chef and then-practicing psychologist to start Okapi, a small home kitchen, in 2019.

“It was, and still is my way of advocating for more sustainable, cruelty-free, and healthy food practices,” she says. Okapi, she adds, is named after an endangered animal from Congo, Africa. “It’s a cute, catchy name, and many people have no idea what it means, so it’s a great conversation starter and helps raise awareness about the animal too,”
she says.

Currently operating as a tiffin service from Aldona, Okapi follows a subscription-based model that helps keep kitchen operations efficient and organised. “We know what we’re cooking for the month, how many people we’re cooking for, and our prep work is, therefore, timely. There’s hardly any wastage, rarely any spikes in costs or prices, and we can focus our energy on making tasty, high-quality food,” says Sinha.

The tiffin menu changes every month. “We like to keep meals exciting, so we feature multiple cuisines in the menu,” she says. Some important factors in deciding the menu include seasonal, fresh, and affordable produce, as well as a good balance of carbs and protein. “Since we cook in bulk and our food travels across many kilometers, not everything that sounds interesting is logistically feasible. We also take feedback from our customers and try our best to incorporate their inputs,” she adds.

Apart from the tiffin service, Okapi also offers healthy desserts such as birthday cakes, puddings, tarts, and cookies. “We don’t use refined sugar in our products and have several gluten-free options as well,” says Sinha. The venture also provides bespoke catering for private parties, corporate events, family celebrations, and even weddings.

However, logistics remains her biggest challenge. “It’s hard to find delivery partners who are reliable, consistent, and willing. I’m lucky to have a stable team at the moment, but I dread the day we miss a step,” she says.

Another challenge is the stereotype that plant-based food is boring, bland, and only for vegans. “At Okapi, we’ve been working hard to break that perception by bringing tasty, creative, and exciting food to the table. We understand that this is the need of the hour, so we keep our heads down and push forward,” she says, adding that it has been rewarding to see so many people choosing sustainable, healthy food. “Most of our clients aren’t even vegetarian, but they appreciate food that’s easy on their stomachs and the planet,”
she shares.

Looking ahead, Okapi aims to add more local vegetables and grains into its menu and find affordable sources of plant-based protein, like tempeh. While they currently deliver to most of North Goa, they hope to expand their tiffin service to reach more people.

And while detractors of vegan food still exist, Sinha remains unfazed. “Like many revolutions, this one will also take its time,” she says. “But in the end, the world will be a better place. I
have full faith.”