Plant-based pleasure Helping people develop an affinity for vegetarian food for two decades Tasting Notes
By: Eva Wasney Posted: 6:00 AM CST Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/02/2024 (681 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Gloria Chuang is the boss — at home and at Affinity Vegetarian Garden, the downtown restaurant she runs with her husband, Joseph Chen.

It was her decision to settle in Winnipeg after emigrating to Vancouver from Taiwan in the ’90s. Despite visiting during a snowstorm, Chuang felt a connection with the mid-sized Prairie city.

“The people here are very friendly, so I had no second thought,” she says, shooting a smile at her husband seated across the table. “He didn’t see it; he just listened to me.”

And when Chen married into his new wife’s vegetarian family?

“I joined,” he says, laughing.

In Taiwan, vegetarianism is widespread, due in part to the popularity of Buddhism and Taoism. The island nation is the third largest vegetarian market in the world with about 14 per cent of the population opting for a meat-free diet.

Chuang grew up eating meat but followed in her parents’ plant-based footsteps as an adult. Concern for the environment and compassion for animals are key tenets of her diet.

When the couple moved to Canada, they befriended several fellow vegetarians and saw an opportunity to share their lifestyle with local diners.

“We decided to open a vegetarian restaurant to promote vegetarianism, to help the global community. That’s our goal. It’s not only for business; we want to encourage people to eat less meat,” Chuang says.

Serving Chinese-Taiwanese food with a lofty cause was a tall order. The menu — featuring an abundance of plant-based options — had to be a selling point.

“(Vegetarian food) is so popular and so delicious in Taiwan. There are lots of vegetarian buffets and they have hundreds of dishes for you to choose from,” she says.

The only problem? Neither Chuang nor Chen had any culinary experience prior to opening Affinity with their business partners in 2002. The couple met while working in a bank as a teller and a manager, respectively.

“When I told my mom, ‘I’m going to run a restaurant in Canada,’ my mom said, ‘How ridiculous! You don’t even know how to cook,’” Chuang recalls with a laugh.

“The only thing I could cook was eggs and congee.”

She studied cookbooks, consulted with more capable chefs and worked on recipes at home. Mostly, she learned by doing.

While Chuang’s family was unsure about the venture, the universe was more certain.

Affinity’s first day coincided with a conference organized by the Winnipeg Vegetarian Association at the convention centre down the street — an event Chaung ascribes to divine intervention. After a successful lunch on opening day, the group became a regular supporter of the restaurant, hosting annual meetups and events in the spacious dining room.

Little has changed at Affinity over the last two decades. The interior remains as tidy and basic as the day the restaurant opened, with beige walls, large mirrors and simple artwork. The menu continues to convert.

“We have so many customers that were not vegetarian in the beginning. They just loved eating the food,” Chuang says.

The long stainless-steel buffet counter, however, has seen busier days. Prior to the pandemic, the pay-by-weight buffet was a popular fixture for downtown lunch crowds. The owners have scaled down to two days per week but are keen to bring back the lunch option if demand increases.

The pandemic was difficult but Chen and Chuang were buoyed by outsized tips and words of encouragement from longtime customers.

“I feel so grateful; I feel very good,” Chen says, speaking through translation.

“We appreciate our customers,” Chaung adds. “They help us a lot.”

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @evawasney