Tommy Cao
is a devout Buddhist and the founder of Dharma Kitchen. After graduating with
multiple honour degrees from the University of Toronto, including Commerce and
Finance, he began his career in the fields of accounting and finance. However,
he found that working in a corporate environment was not conducive to his
lifestyle and so planned a business for himself that incorporates Buddhist
practice into his management philosophy: “Leadership from the heart.”
When Tommy
was ready to open his own business he wanted to stay true to his philosophy of
good karma for all. He considered spots in Toronto or New York, where he had
lived. But the search brought him to Vancouver’s Kitsilano where he opened
Dharma Kitchen, a Buddhist vegan restaurant. He was drawn to the holistic,
community-based neighborhood Kitsilano has evolved into since it’s flower-child
days. “I wanted a calm, healing feeling,” he says, “Not just in food, but I
wanted customers and staff to feel relaxed and relieved from stress. It’s not
easy to find the right place. It’s not just about commerce, but also about
community. That’s why I moved here. Kitsilano is especially perfect.”
Opened in
the Summer of 2005, Dharma Kitchen is as tranquil as an Asian monastery with
its red walls, wind chimes, and lamps that hang like elongated beads, creating
a cozy, serene setting. At night, the pale wooden tables are lit by tea lights
and world-fusion music plays softly over the sound system. The restaurant is
blessed with several tranquil wooden Buddhas that reflect it's ethos as the
food of mindfulness. Mindfulness is the state of being in which a person handles every thing
with full awareness, compassion, consideration and respect for other beings.
Here, it means thinking about what is beneficial for our bodies and the
environment.
“You don’t
have to be vegan to eat vegan. It’s just like you don’t have to be Italian to
eat spaghetti.” Tommy doesn’t expect you to become a full-time vegan like he
is. However, he feels the natural clarity of the cuisine, made with fresh,
whole ingredients and with no animal products, is beneficial for the mind and
body regardless of one's dietary preferences.
As
reflected in the philosophy of Dharma Kitchen, multiculturalism is present in
both the culinary style and in the staff. Dharma Kitchen has welcomed
Brazilian, Finnish, French-Canadian, Fijian, Israeli, Japanese, Jewish, Korean,
Mexican, Swedish, Thai and Vietnamese individuals into our staffs. Until this
day, our former and current staffs reunite twice a year at our traditional New
Year's party and anniversary.
Dharma
Kitchen continues to bring together friends of multiple backgrounds by way of
delicious, whole food and a welcoming environment. Through our meals we seek to
promote a peaceful existence based upon mutual understanding of one another,
and thereby seek to reflect the spirit of mindfulness in more than just our
cuisine.