Businesses in Kendal are taking part in #yourewelcomekendal, a campaign to promote all the fantastic cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars, producers and food retailers in the town.
We’ve been catching up with the people behind the businesses to find out why they love what they do.
Magda Szymanska-Linowiecka, who is originally from Poland, moved to Cumbria to work in pubs at Lindale and then Booth’s cafe, in Kendal, before taking on the Waterside Cafe and Food Bistro, overlooking the River Kent, in 2014. She runs the vegan and vegetarian cafe alongside husband Chris.
“When we first started out it was more vegetarian, but we started making more and more vegan food because it is something I believe in,” says Magda.
“Vegan food is nutritious, tasty and sustainable and demand for it has just grown. We’re trying to make a mix of healthy food, with everything made from scratch, and we also make vegan junk food, like burgers and kebabs. We’re trying to just make really good quality food using fresh products. Even if people aren’t vegan or vegetarian they will come and try something and they’ll just love it and keep on coming back.
“People used to think that vegetarian food is just salads and leaves or whatever, but the amount of different types of food you can have now is just amazing, like burgers, sausages and hotdogs. They’re really, really good. So I think more people are becoming convinced.
“I’ve always loved people and talking to people. I love making people happy. I like feeding people – my friends say I would probably do that for free anyway – and I like encouraging people to try new things and to realise that veggie and vegan food is so amazing.”
About #yourewelcomekendal
#yourewelcomekendal is being funded by the Government’s Welcome Back Fund. The Welcome Back Fund is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and HM Government as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
