From International Roots to Homey Cafe: Christina’s Story

Finding Homey Cafe

I rolled up to an industrial park in a rented Mitsubishi, doubting where the offline version of Google Maps had directed me. I had just landed in Calgary, and I was hunting for the supposedly vegan restaurant that a friend and I had found while scoping out the city on Maps earlier that week. 

After doing a loop in the cul-de-sac, I finally spotted Homey Cafe’s snug storefront in a cluster of sterile-looking buildings. I snagged one of the last parking spots and tentatively stepped inside, trying to hush my growing expectations of disappointment.

Hummus Hospitality

Behold! The cafe (and plant-based grocery nook, I learned) was entirely empty of customers. It took a few seconds, but eventually the media streaming from a phone in the kitchen stopped. 

A woman came out to greet me. With a grand smile, she encouraged me to sit anywhere, so I took a two-seater near the kitchen. Already, I sensed this was a place where I could stay for a while.

Before I got to perusing the food menu, the woman rushed to prepare a sample of her fresh hummus for me. She would be hosting an event at the restaurant soon, she told me, where she wanted to offer foods for a variety of diets. It turned out that she had never made hummus before; she wanted feedback on it. 

I showered her with sincere praise. The hummus was wonderful—she truly accomplished something special with the balance of spices.

Inspired by my compliments—or perhaps simply needing an ear to listen—the woman spent the next hour outpouring the details of her journey to business ownership to me.

[Documenting encounters like this was new for me, so I failed to ask the woman’s name. The business cards at the front of the shop had the name ‘Christina’ on them, though. That’s how I’ll refer to her from now on.] 

A new (Rough) Start In Canada

Christina moved from Malaysia to Canada at 17 years old, hoping to accomplish her university studies there. Her father was disgruntled about her decision, though, so he only sent her with $1,000 for living and education expenses. She rented a tiny space, surviving on bread and butter until the university noticed that she wasn’t paying her tuition.

Flustered, Christina laid out her pennilessness to the guidance counselor who was tasked to formulate a recovery plan with her. Her resolve was unshakable: she told him that if the university wanted to kick her out, then they would have to pay for her airfare back to Malaysia. 

Instead of berating or scorning her, the counselor had Christina show him her living space. After seeing the size and condition of it, he told her to pack everything. She would live with him and his wife from then on. 

In exchange for completing the counselor and wife’s English lessons (and using the language properly), Christina was fed well beyond her previous bread-and-butter standard. When she insisted on helping more, the counselor gave her part-time work, arranging it so that her compensation paid for the outstanding tuition. 

Even now, Christina sees this couple as having saved her life.

Resistance To Christina’s New Life

Christina’s family was insistent on her return to Malaysia for years. It was ironic, because her parents had been treating her as a prodigal child. In fact, Christina was considered so disgraceful that she was unworthy of being mentioned as a daughter in conversations. Her international move was considered as severe as abandonment.

Every time she has gone back to visit Malaysia, Christina has gotten so bored that she’s picked up temporary work. The society there didn’t fit with her anymore, though. It always felt like she had another home to return to.

At some point, Christina’s parents tried to bargain with her again.

“If you leave again, we won’t be around the next time you come back,” they said. 

She left anyway, knowing that her path ran elsewhere. 

Making Canada Work

For income, Christina eventually landed a job doing IT for the City of Calgary. She worked long hours and did well, but never enjoyed working beneath someone else.

When retirement age came, Christina still wanted to work despite the inharmony of her autonomy. Eventually, however, she succumbed to her husband’s cajoling to leave the workforce.

Unsurprisingly, Christina was almost instantly bored by retirement. She loathed being pent up in a house all day, and she missed having things to do. Her husband maintained his grand visions for spur-of-the-moment travel that retirement afforded, but that didn’t necessarily appeal to Christina. Travel is a chore, she said, because so much of the time is spent just deciding where to get food. 

So she decided to go another direction: Her direction. 

COVID Hit

It was at the tail end of a trip back to Malaysia that the COVID pandemic reared its ugly head. Many borders were closing, and travel restrictions racked up by the day. Christina was terrified; she couldn’t fathom being locked into staying there 

Ultimately, the circumstances aligned and got her back to Canada. When she arrived, however, she had to reevaluate her recent anti-retirement idea to open a children’s daycare.

Christina had invested in this venture with Montessori training, various certifications, and a building large enough to host 60 children. But with the implications of the virus, and its subsequent restrictions, she saw that prospect had to be abandoned.

It was time for another pivot.

The Trials of a Butcher Shop

In place of the daycare, a few peers recommended that Christina go into retail. People had to eat, after all—that was one thing COVID couldn’t change. 

Christina, who had no experience whatsoever working with food or a retail storefront, decided to spearhead the opportunity by purchasing a butcher shop.

The challenges of that decision were quick to reveal themselves.

Navigating the ins and outs of a butcher shop wasn’t impossible, but it wasn’t exactly pleasant, either. Christina’s petite stature wasn’t advantageous for handling the enormous weight of an animal carcass, and bleach was the only way to keep blood-stenches from permeating the floors. 

After issues with a temperature-related stink that would cost $80,000+ to repair, and having to hire someone to do all of the animal carving, Christina threw in the towel on the butcher shop. She couldn’t stomach the bleach fumes anymore. Or the prospect of having a finger accidentally sawn off by a piece of equipment. 

Keeping Money ABove-Ground

Christina left meat behind (and truly did, to the fullness of adopting a vegetarian diet), but her resolve was sure. It was around this time that she started formulating ideas for a combination plant-based market and kitchen.

“You just siphoned so much money into a failed business,” her husband said, bitter and resentful. “Do you really want to keep digging yourself deeper into a financial hole?”

“What else is there to do with money?” Christina asked. “Will you be able to take it with you underground?”

I loved her for that.

In another sagely moment, Christina reminded her husband of something important. If they were to keep sharing the house without her having an independent hobby, then she would go insane. (I loved her for this, too. Our preferences are quite humorously similar!) 

Armed with determination, she scoped out some spaces that could host her new dream. The industrial park space is what took the cake for her. Investing what money she had and accepting some support from her reluctant parents, Homey Cafe would finally come to fruition.

Her parents’ support had a caveat, of course. If the cafe failed, then Christina would be expected to return home. 

Putting the ‘Home’ in Homey Cafe

Knowing what was at stake, Christina buckled down and brought life to her vision.

Now, Homey Cafe is equipped with an open kitchen and an exclusively plant-based grocery nook. The dining area is adorned with paintings from local artists, warm lighting that Christina hung herself, and natural elements that make an otherwise very industrial, showroom-type space feel more organic. 

As an example of these natural elements, Christina wrapped a support beam with papier-mâché to make it resemble a tree. Over time, she added live plants and string lights to make it feel even cozier. 

People told her that covering the support beam was unnecessary, that no one would really notice or care about it. But that had nothing to do with the fact that she didn’t like the support beam. Christina knew that seeing it every day would make her mind run in negative circles.

More than anything, the tree was to make the environment better-suited for herself. It was an act of self-love.

Staying true to Her Vision

As mentioned, Christina had very little experience with cooking or food service before opening Homey Cafe. That hasn’t deterred her, though.

Constantly, Christina is researching various diets (e.g. gluten-free, ‘raw vegan’) to tinker with recipes and make them adaptable for more people. She admitted that her cooking style is somewhat experimental, so items on the restaurant menu might vary from day to day.

Customers have encouraged Christina to sell vegan items that are already popular in Calgary, like banh mi. Food vendors have pushed her to franchise their goods. Others still have told her to move the restaurant downtown, where it would undoubtedly be a massive hit.

Her answer to all of them has been “no.” None of these visions were hers. Therefore, they weren’t right.

This isn’t a matter of narrow-mindedness. Christina values being at the shop for as long as she wants, day or night. She savors the whimsical exploration of foods that she finds interesting instead of catering to trends and demands. Also, having a manageable customer base means that she can run the business autonomously and avoid the overwhelm of crowds.

This is about empowerment. It’s about freedom. Christina is content as can be with a roof over her head and food in her tummy.

In effect, Homey Cafe is the most harmonious it can be—exactly where, and how, it is right now. Nothing needs to change that.

Joy in Resolve

Christina’s passion radiates from her with the warmth of a dozen spring suns. She is both inspired and inspiring—all at the golden age of 68! It’s hard to picture my newfound friend doing anything else; she is so entirely in her element.  

We openly recognized that so very many people (including ourselves, at some point) enslave themselves to financial ‘security’ and the expectations of others. Pawning off their time and energy to inharmonious tasks, they are only ever rewarded with suffering.

There is more to this life, and infinitely many ways to find fulfillment. Christina’s story is an epitome of that truth.

I told Christina how beautiful it is that she knows her dance, and she’s doing it.

That made her smile just about as widely as the hummus compliments.

Learning to Dance

As someone who has been allowing her well-being to be exploited for years, Christina’s experiences resonated deeply within me.

Recently, I have been doing the inner work to reorient my entire approach to life. It still isn’t (and probably never will be) perfect, but slowly, surely, I’m learning to express the intuitive dance of my soul. 

As humans, we tend to cage ourselves in with contingencies. We let ourselves believe that circumstances dictate the potential for happiness, prosperity, and success—but that is not so. Christina is a living example of how determination can seed a dynamic, unfolding reality where each moment is fulfilling.

Whatever the circumstance, keep on. Tune into the whispers of your inner guidance, and follow that which best expresses your spirit’s unique rhythm of love.

My aim is to do the same.

⋆.ೃ࿔ :･⚝⭑