Goa To Get India’s First Vegan Culinary Institute- The Vegan School

The Vegan School, a plant-based culinary institute is all set to open its doors to aspiring chefs in Goa.

Founded by Ashish Santhalia and his wife Nisha Garg, the institute has been set up to meet the growing demand for plant-based cuisine and to nudge people towards a plant-based diet.

THE FOUNDERS

Ashish Santhalia, an educator with over 5 years of experience is the course coordinator for the Vegan School. Deeply passionate about the benefits of a whole food plant-based diet himself, Ashish realised that 80-90% of the culinary courses in Hotel Management Institutes are not even vegetarian friendly.

“Since I follow a vegan lifestyle myself, we thought we should keep the course fully vegan”.

Nisha Garg, a chef with a diploma in plant-based cooking has been working in kitchens worldwide for over 10 years. She even worked at Vaxthuset, a renowned fine-dine plant-based restaurant in Sweden. Nisha will be the chef-instructor for the course.

Chef Nisha Garg

THE COURSE

The residential course at The Vegan School will span 11 weeks and will have a broad range of topics that will be able to equip the participants with skills and confidence to succeed with a career in the field of plant-based food and nutrition.

The course syllabus starts off with kitchen skills that every aspiring chef needs to know to work in a commercial kitchen. It covers subjects that include cooking techniques, how to use different food groups in recipes, and also includes gluten-free, raw vegan, and oil-free techniques.

The founders also like to focus on the health aspects of plant-based food so as to inspire nutritionists who need come culinary training to attend the course. They will also teach how to use food for treating lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Keeping the wellness of the students in mind, the course participants can opt for daily yoga classes which will be followed by a packed day full of theory and active kitchen work. The kitchen where the learning will happen will have a modern European design. As part of the course, several chefs and guest lecturers will be invited to cover specific topics.

THE LOCATION

Ashish and Nisha had very specific reasons to pick Goa as the final location for their culinary institute.

“Goa is very vegan-friendly and already has so many vegan restaurants. So we knew sourcing raw materials will be easy. Also, Goa works as a great base where people from all over the country and abroad will readily come, stay and learn. This would not be true for any other city,” says Ashish.

The first intake for the course will be in September 2022.

To know more check the website here.

Like this? Read: 8 Amazing Tips To Become A Healthier Vegan! (Even On A Budget)

Read More: India's first 100% Vegan School is in Chennai!