Cafe owner's raw food cookbook fills a gap in the market

A raw salad from Sunday Cantina packed full of flavour. Photo / Shelley Down

What they don't tell you when you start your own cafe is that as well as doing the parts you love, you also have to become an accountant, banker, stocktaker, lawyer, market guru, social media expert, problem solver, mentor and leader.

This is the position Fi Greig found herself in when she started Sunday Cantina in Kāpiti.

Her first venture into owning a cafe was Marine Parade Deli at Paraparaumu Beach with two business partners, but when she opened Sunday Cantina in Waikanae she was on her own, also taking on a big catering contract at the same time.

Opening the second Sunday Cantina in Raumati South early last year came with much excitement but was quickly followed by the first Covid-19 lockdown.

Fi Greig from Sunday Cantina. Photo / Shelley Down

Suddenly, running two cafes, teaching cooking classes, catering and raising two daughters as a solo mum was becoming too much and becoming a grandma for the first time this year put things into perspective for Fi.

"For years I'd been running around following my dreams, pushing myself to exhaustion in pursuit of something bigger or something more.

"Suddenly I felt an immense desire to spend as much time as I could with my moko, and I began noticing an overwhelming feeling of unfulfillment, despite being in the best financial space ever."

Until then she had viewed running multiple businesses and cooking classes as success, "but I realised none of that made me happy because it was all materialistic.

"I decided it was time to sell the Waikanae Sunday Cantina and that I'd start looking at what I really wanted in life."

Fi now had time to breathe, and with that, she had space to start putting a dream into action - create a cookbook.

Sunday Cantina cookbook by Fi Greig. Photo / Shelley Down

"Years ago I decided I wanted to do it but I just didn't have time.

"I already knew all the recipes as they're the ones I've done all my life since I started cooking.

"I've made them at Sunday Cantina, but I've held on to them with the intention of one day putting them into a book.

"They're recipes I've collected since I was 18 years old and are the ones that are hot favourites at the cafe."

Messaging her friend Shelley Down who has helped out Sunday Cantina with social media and photography, Fi said she was ready to start a cookbook.

"Shelley had never done food photography before she met me and she just really loved my food and believed in me.

"We worked really well together and went hard for two months.

"Every day I would make food and take it to her house to photograph where she would design it and put it all together."

Fi Greig's specialty: raw slices. Photo / Shelley Down

The outcome is a beautiful cookbook full of raw, healthy recipes, 95 per cent of which are vegan, gluten and refined sugar free.

"There's a lot of breakfast food, raw food, salads, condiments, dressings and a little bit of baking.

"My food philosophy is that anyone of any dietary requirement, food beliefs or cultural beliefs should be able to eat food and it should be delicious.

"I always feel like I'm challenged trying to make something with no sugar or no gluten that tastes amazing without the normal ingredients.

"There's also a massive gap in the market for raw food and delicious salads.

"I love the challenge of making people fall in love with salads, it's truly amazing what you can put in a salad.

"When I first started Sunday Cantina no one even knew what raw slices were in Kāpiti."

Normally throwing a little of this and a little of that into her cooking, Fi measured out all the ingredients meticulously so she could share her recipes with others.

"I had to measure everything out properly for the cookbook which I don't normally do, so that was a bit of a challenge.

"I pride myself on making my raw food recipes so enjoyable that anyone would want to eat them.

"I don't think it should matter what dietary requirements you have, you will fall in love with this food."

High on ingredients and with very simple methods, the recipes are for people who don't want to spend ages in the kitchen but just want to chuck it all in one bowl and make something delicious.

"I'm big on ingredients and try to pack in as much flavour as possible into each recipe."

Taking chances and making mistakes along the way has not stopped Fi from realising her long-held dream of sharing her love of food with others.

"You don't have to be defined by your younger choices.

"I'm a single mum, I could have been just another statistic, but I chose not to.

"Whatever choices you made when you were younger doesn't have to be your status quo."

As for what's next for Fi, she already has plans to work on a second cookbook focusing more on dishes for lunch and dinner.

"Food is my thing. I know how to do it, it's easy for me and it's my love language."

The book can be purchased on pre-order from Sunday Cantina in Raumati South and will be available at markets and festivals throughout the summer.