Plant Based Delight – Winnipeg Free Press

Gloria Chuang is the head of Affinity Vegetarian Garden, a restaurant she runs at home and with her husband, Joseph Chen.

It was his decision to settle in Winnipeg after moving from Taiwan to Vancouver in the 90s. Despite visiting during a blizzard, Chuang felt a connection to the mid-sized Prairie town.

“The people here are very friendly, so I didn't think about it,” she says, smiling at her husband across the table. “He did not see it; he just listened to me.”

When Chen married into his new wife's vegetarian family?

“I joined,” he says with a laugh.

Vegetarianism is widespread in Taiwan, partly due to the popularity of Buddhism and Taoism. The island nation is the third largest vegetarian market in the world, with around 14 percent of the population opting for a meat-free diet.

Chuang grew up eating meat, but as an adult followed in her parents' plant-based footsteps. Care for the environment and compassion for animals are the main principles of his diet.

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

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

Serving Sino-Taiwanese food with a high purpose was a tall order. A menu with plenty of plant-based options was supposed to be a selling point.

“(Vegetarian food) is very popular and very tasty in Taiwan. There are many vegetarian buffets and they have hundreds of dishes to choose from,” she says.

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

“When I told my mom, 'I'm going to open a restaurant in Canada,' she said, 'How funny!' You don't even know how to cook,'” Chuan recalls with a laugh.

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

She studied cookbooks, consulted more accomplished cooks, and worked on recipes at home. Mostly he learned by doing.

Although Chuang's family was unsure of the initiative, the universe was more certain.

The first day of Affinity coincided with a conference hosted by the Winnipeg Vegetarian Association at the convention center down the street—an event that Chaun described as divine intervention. After a successful opening day lunch, the group has become a regular supporter of the restaurant, hosting annual meetings and events in the spacious dining room.

Affinity has seen few changes over the past two decades. With beige walls, large mirrors and simple artwork, the interior remains as neat and simple as the day the restaurant opened. The menu will continue to convert.

“We have a lot of non-vegetarian customers to begin with. They loved food,” says Chuang.

The long stainless steel buffet, however, has seen busier days. Before the pandemic, pay-by-the-weight buffets were a popular downtown dining staple. The owners have scaled back to two days a week, but are open to bringing back the lunch option if demand increases.

The pandemic has been tough, but Chen and Chuang have been buoyed by great advice and words of encouragement from longtime customers.

“I am very pleased; I feel very good,” Chen said through translation.

“We value our customers,” Chaung added. “They help us a lot.”

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