Where I’m Coming From…
My name is Lillian, I am an Indian-born Canadian with roots stretching from the vibrant city of Bangalore, India, to the multicultural metropolis of Montreal. I split my time between Montreal’s cultural tapestry and Bali’s tropical sanctuary. Nurturing others through food is my joy. My culinary journey spans southern India, the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Canada, Australia, Barbados, and Bali, enriching my cooking with diverse influences. I aim to elevate dining into a holistic, healthful experience, championing sustainable, ethical, and local food practices.
Having lived and worked in seven diverse countries, I’ve gained a deep appreciation for food’s role in connecting people to nature, themselves, and each other. I pride myself on cooking intuitively, crafting recipes that are as visually appealing as they are flavorful, all while championing sustainable, ethical, and local food practices.
My expertise lies in sourcing local ingredients, ranging from seasonal vegetables and seafood to farm-to-table poultry, meat, pork, and eggs, as well as dairy and dairy alternatives, catering to whatever your dietary needs are. I excel at managing a dynamic kitchen and preparing everything from scratch. I am dedicated to delivering an unforgettable culinary experience that nourishes not just the body but also the mind and soul of those I serve.
What I Can Offer you…
As a personal chef, I specialize in crafting exquisite dining experiences for all types of events, from intimate gatherings to large celebrations. Whether it’s a special occasion or a casual get-together, I provide comprehensive services tailored to your preferences. I also offer personalized cooking for individuals and families in the comfort of their own homes.
I have shared my unique cooking style, attention to detail, and culinary expertise on projects in the Komodo National Park in Indonesia (while sailing through over 10 islands), on the Island of Barbados, on the Island of Bali, and in various cities in India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Dubai, and Canada. Always sourcing local ingredients, I ensure to meet my clients’ culinary requests and needs.
I design each project from start to finish, keeping the project or occasion and the needs of the client in mind.
To find out more about any of the services I provide, click here or to book your next event, drop me a line at lillian@becomevegetarian.org
Growing up in India – it’s all about the Food!
Growing up in Bangalore, India, food was central to my life. My family primarily followed a vegetarian diet with occasional animal products, influenced by the Portuguese colonization of the southwest coast. Our celebrations and family gatherings revolved around delicious, homemade meals. As part of a large extended family, we often gathered around large tables filled with food cooked from the heart. Family picnics to hill stations were a common occurrence, with baskets filled with tiffins of food. Even on outings, we carried a portable stove and ate from steel plates, believing it enhanced the taste. My mom or one of my aunts or uncles would make steaming hot chai after our meals, adding to the warmth and joy of these moments. These experiences have shaped my approach to cooking, emphasizing freshness, love, and flavor in every dish I create.
Moving to Canada…
Moving to Canada in my early 20s was a transformative experience. The taste of animal products was vastly different from what I was accustomed to, leading to discomfort and digestive issues. This prompted me to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle and delve into the study of food, nutrition, and the mind-body connection. Despite following my mother’s recipes, dishes like “Dhal” tasted nothing like home, sparking my curiosity about the journey of food from farm to table.
My interest in food as a healing agent grew, and I dreamt of making healthy, sustainable, and delicious eating accessible to all. Rejecting fads, my mission is simple: to promote mindful eating and share my knowledge with family, friends, and anyone interested.
Health has always been my priority, reflected in my Master’s thesis research and my career as an International Public Health Consultant for over twenty-one years. Now, I focus full-time on food and eating for functional health and wellness, believing that health is not just a part of life, but life itself.
What You Can Expect From Me…
My goal is to educate without burdening you with dietary guilt. No need to feel conflicted about your food choices, whether you prefer plant-based or include animal products. My objective is simply to share knowledge about the medicinal properties of food through the services I offer. Understanding the nuances of food empowers us to achieve our health and wellness objectives more effectively.
I also want to share all the lessons I’ve learnt and share the thousands of recipes I’ve tested over the last 25 years (after I left my parents’ home in India, to live on my own). Most of my recipes are simple, easy to make and nutritionally dense that satisfies the tongue, stomach and soul. All my recipes I share, plus the academic articles and studies are for carnivores – who may not want to become vegetarian (just yet or ever) but want to learn more about vegetarianism and vegetarian cooking.
I cook from the heart and most often don’t taste food while cooking, rather, I try to be mindful and use all my senses when preparing and cooking for others. Anyone can follow a recipe, but if you follow a recipe and cook from your heart and with your senses it will be your own individual creation. That’s what I urge you to do if you use any of my recipes I’ve shared here.My greatest joy comes from hearing the tapping of a knife on a cutting board, the popping of food in a pot, the sound of sizzling delicacies in a cast iron pan, the rhythmic beat of a wooden spoon mixing…even the simple sound of boiling water vigorously. Most of all, I am the happiest when people who are eating my food are satisfied and relish every morsel of it.
To me the perfect diet has one main principle: eating real foods and not food-like substitutes.
Happy cooking and eating friends!
Lillian (aka Lilly or Lil)