Right on the corner of Kloof and Hof Street, away from the hustle and bustle of Cape Town, there lies a little sanctuary, nestled under palm leafs and between tall-growing green shrubs. A get-away from the craziness of the city bowl and it's sheer endless boutiques, shops, restaurants and bars. Here at Nourish'd one can recharge, nourish and discover themselves to be living in pretty much the perfect holiday-beach-vibey place, while sipping on Smoothies with fancy names such as Makin' me Cacao or Bloody Blazin' Berry. Needless to say that these are also available as lighter Juices or as delicious and colourful Smoothie Bowls!
Natasha Napoli's Café and Juicery, which opened in February 2017, has hit the nerve of our generation's zeitgeist of creating awareness about conscious consumerism, environmental issues and health. And what could be more perfect in a time of bloggers, freelancers and Instagrammers to have a place like this, which serves pretty much the most postworthy food ever, while providing a solid Wifi-connection as well? Yet, this café is so much more than just the next in-place in Cape Town, apart from it's ability to provide hipsters, bloggers, hippies and the everyman with an opportunity to relax, unwind and do something good for their bodies! My dear friend Natasha has managed to embed a pretty solid sustainability concept into almost every feature of her Café and I am obviously fan-girling about this big time! We're talking glass and bamboo straws, recyclable coffee cups made out of natural starch, organic local produce, a readers manual on superfoods, chakras and sustainability, and whatever else us eco-nerds can dream of ...
...the latest coup is a one, three or five day Juice Cleanse, which comes with its own recycling programme. When looking into a strategy and making plans for the Café's concept, a no plastic agenda was paramount for Natasha: "initially it was hard to find providers, but finally the no-plastic movement has reached this far south!". So, when she discovered Consol in Stellebosch, which provided the glass bottles for her juices, a well thought through recycling programme idea followed: "The only way, I was going to get the bottles back (and thus reduce material use and wastage!), was by incentivising people to bring them back. We did that by surcharging the small amount of R10. And it is amazing to see how well it works, people are really making an effort to bring their bottles back to us to either get them refilled or their money back!".
Even more so, the team is now trying to grow most of the ingredients for the Nourish'd Juices and Smoothies in its own backyard! The plants get watered with the grey-water from the Café's sinks, which is not always handy and hard to maintain, especially with the current water-crisis in town (click here to read more about this issue), which makes it even more necessary to use water wisely. However, with using the food-scrub infused water, the Nourish'd team at least does not have to worry about fertilising the plants, as the water (now containing a lot of superfood ingredients!) serves just as that, and is a natural nitrogen fixer for the soil - simply amazing, isn't it? Go try it at home, get yourself a biodegradable washing-up liquid and water your plants with your sink's grey-water...watch the magic! ;-)
Another addition to all the bits and pieces that make Nourish'd such a cool, sustainable and innovative eatery, is an almost human-size plant pot called GroPro , basically hosting a family of worms, which are fed through your kitchen's food scraps and turn those into extremely rich fertiliser for all the plants and flowers you want to grow! This fertiliser gets washed out of the soil every time you water your plants and is caught in the drainage underneath the plant pot, so one can reuse this perfectly fertilised water and watch their plants grow basically in light-speed! I am hooked and would get one asap, if it wasn't for bulky luggage transport fees at the airport... oh well!
With the ability to run a successful food establishment basically flowing through her veins (Natasha's got Italian ancestry on her father's side - already says it all! If that does not quite convince you: go have Pizza at Bacini's on Kloof, just one of the best Italian restaurants I have ever been to, and see for yourself! ;-)) it is understandable why Natasha cannot recall a specific moment in time, where the idea popped into her head of starting her own little place. Apart from basically growing up in the food service sector, she was always quite passionate about nourishing diets, pretty Smoothie Bowls and other recipes, which she recalls to show her friends and family, always saying "one day I'll do that myself".
"It was always kind of a dream, but I never imagined it coming to life like this!"
Surely it was an initial struggle to convince her dad to get the garage next to Bacini's and turn it into what we now know as a place of healthy and good vibes only! "It was a bit of a debate at first, that's for sure. But as soon as my dad saw the passion and determination in my eyes, he sorta ran out of arguments, started to believe in me and my cause and gave me the 'go ahead'". And that's only when the real struggle began. With contractors to be called, construction to begin, a concept and design to think of, notwithstanding a menu that would attract various groups PLUS finding staff who would be equally passionate and determined about the Café as herself, Natasha remembers being on the edge of giving up. But when did something great ever come easy? And with Natasha being the creative, quirky and strong-willed (Italian stubbornness for the win!) woman I know, it all turned out extremely well!
In general, one thing that makes this place so amazing, is its authenticity. And Natasha is one of the main reasons for that, along with her team, which became family in no time: "If you spent so much time together, almost every day of the week, you need to make sure that you get along, that you keep it interesting and that everyone is happy to get up in the morning and go to work and that we all leave with a smile on our face." To keep the positive energy flowing, they all go on staff lunches or hike up Lion's Head together and do all sorts of other fun stuff. Sounds like a great place to work for me!
" When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute."
– Simon Sinek
When I met Natasha almost four years ago, she was already flirting with the vegetarian lifestyle. Soon after that she travelled to Europe and America and experimented a lot with her diet and what would work for her. She finally discovered the benefits of a plant-based diet for herself while doing a yoga instructor course in Costa Rica and stuck to the principles of not consuming any dairy products as she simply "does not support this sort of industry" (click here to read about the adverse effects of dairy products coming from intensive animal husbandry). That's why Nourish'd is also making its very own Almond Mylk! If you're curious about how that works and maybe want to try it for yourself - it's super easy, just click here! :)
Yes, going vegan is debatable, and this is not supposed to be an article telling anyone what diet is best for you OR for the environment (*hint*), BUT about advocating for a more conscious way of consumerism and being aware of the things you put in your body ;-). Apparently a lot of people are arguing that giving up dairy products would lead to malnourishment, and yes, some people might simply not be able to buy all the food they would need to lead a truly healthy and balanced lifestyle (and I mostly blame the system for that), but it really is hugely questionable (watch here) why grown-up humans in the 21st century would need to consume cow's milk, which - just like breastmilk - is for feeding offspring aka. baby cows!
Whatever your preferred diet might look like, I am sure every one of us enjoys the option of munching on something healthy BUT tasty, which at the same time is also pretty to look at, right? So kudos to my friend Natasha for following her dream and providing people with such an option and while doing so being the lovely, always smiling, sparkly moon-child that she is! And if you're ever in Cape Town, make sure to pop in and see/ eat it for yourself. If you are interested in a more balanced, healthy diet and leading a lifestyle which has less of an adverse impact on your environment and yourself, I am sure Natasha is happy to chat about that, too. You can also send me a message, I have some pretty good readings about it and love to discuss anything food-production and environment- related, really :P!
"A little sanctuary in the city for like minded people to come to get some nourishin' goodies (...). I hope I have created a space for beautiful people to come so that they can feel at home, relax, read and enjoy the present moment while sipping or munching on something healthy. From the 4 rose quartz crystals that hold the love space, the staff, the music to the dream catchers... I share it with all of you guys so that you can nourish not only your body but your mind too." - Natasha Napoli
In this spirit, I say cheers to you all, not with the usual spirits in my glass though, but with my super healthy Green Goddess Juice!
xx
