Meet Our Volunteers #1: Saya

There are so many wonderful people who donate their time and energy to keep Kaibosh running, and we’d like to introduce you to some of them.

First up we have food rescue volunteer Saya! Thanks to Sophie (also a volunteer) for putting this excellent profile together.

How long have you been volunteering with Kaibosh for?

I think I started sometime in February this year, not long after I moved here. I hope I get
 to stay on for ages, it’s fun.

Why do you volunteer at Kaibosh?

I’m doing a Masters in Human Nutrition and used to work as a cook so food is
 important to me and when I saw how much food waste is produced in commercial
 kitchens it horrified me. The amount of methane produced by food in landfills also
 really concerns me. My brother Mark was involved with Kaibosh before he went
 overseas to live and he told me about it so I joined up when I moved to Welly too.

You run a business called ‘It’s All Gravy’ – tell us about it!
 

It’s All Gravy is a little food business offering nutritious takeaway dinners for pick-up in Te
 Aro between Mon – Wed night for $10-$12 per meal. Early next year (after I’ve finished my thesis!) I’m planning to expand to offer three tiers of service including:

1) just the recipes and ingredients
2) the recipes and prepped ingredients
3) what we currently offer, the fully prepared meal.

I eventually want to use containers that people can send back and re-use, like tiffins, and do deliveries. I’m thinking about doing something related to kids’ food/eating too, as fussy eating is what my thesis is about but I’m not entirely sure what shape that will take.

I’ve always wanted to have my own business related to food but owning a restaurant didn’t appeal and I didn’t want to be a nutritionist telling people what not to eat, so I came up with It’s All Gravy to help busy people eat good food in a way that suits them that week. I think it’s special because I haven’t heard of a similar business in Wellington and also our meals are unlike packaged ready meals which are often a bit same-y. You can find It’s All Gravy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Where could we find you on the weekend?

Tramping and/or camping, in bed, or having people over to eat. They come over to eat I mean, I don’t eat them. Unless they’re rude. Then, look out.

What’s your favourite Wellington café / restaurant / bar?

Loretta for dinner (pizzas, whole chooks and grain-based salads), Nikau for breakfast (sage fried eggs!) and if I’m feeling a bit flash/flush or someone else is shouting, Ancestral for drinks (gin martini!). I also like Golden Tiger on Manners Street, it’s a new-ish Chinese place with good noodle soup. Also the Asian supermarket on the same street as Kaibosh does Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches for like $8. Oops, that’s 5 places.

What’s one insider tip you’d give to a new Wellingtonian?

I was moaning that I was failing at living in Wellington to the woman who owns Madame Fancy Pants because I was always either too hot or cold and she told me to always carry a merino cardy in my bag no matter how perfect it seems when you leave the house. I got a beautiful one from Minnie Cooper as a welcome to Welly present and now I’m winning at living Wellington. So yeah, get a merino – they’re warm, don’t take up much space, last for ages and are probably made in NZ. They’re not cheap, but if you consider cost per wear they’re a bargain.

Thanks for your time and the great Wellington tips Saya!

If you’re interested in volunteering with Kaibosh, find out more here and drop us a line.