Heaven is a conscious living leader and owner of Bodhi – Australia’s longest running vegan restaurant. Driven by her passion for a plant-based lifestyle, Heaven extends her philosophy of #loveeverybodhi beyond her restaurant to her day-to-day life and inspires her family, community & beyond, to live more sustainably. The entrepreneur and mother of two loves celebrating her multicultural heritage and is an advocate for supporting women in business, mentoring other entrepreneurs and supporting them on their business journeys.
Tell us about Bodhi.
Bodhi has been operating since 1988 and is Australia’s oldest and largest plant-based restaurant. We have had the privilege of feeding a wide and wonderfully varied community of customers many of whom are interested in health, wellness, animal activism, environmentalism, or just simply good wholesome food.
What inspired you to start Bodhi?
The original concept for Bodhi Restaurant was started by my mother, Lee, when she first became a vegetarian. It was more out of necessity than out of a desire to be in the hospitality industry.
We come from a culture that values the experience of sharing food as a way of connecting with friends and loved ones.
Lee discovered that once she went plant-based there was a lack of authentic vegetarian restaurants for her to choose from. There definitely wasn’t anywhere that would cater to one of our regular, large, family and friends’ traditions being Yum Cha.
There have now been 7 businesses in our family since then, all in the vegan space. The current Bodhi was my 3rd business and was opened by me in 2000, it was a natural step for someone who had grown up in the restaurant industry.
I opened it because I could see that there was space for improvement, I wanted something contemporary with the ability to explore food from other Asian regions. I felt I could build upon what made my mother’s restaurants successful and make them relevant to a new generation of diners.
Tell us about your career and background.
I started in hospitality at the tender age of 12. Mine is a typical migrant family story where a first-generation Australian born kid works in the family business after school.
I tried a variety of jobs but always had one foot in the family business. Over the years I wanted to learn more than what my family could teach me and began working for other well-known, restaurant operators around Sydney. As my knowledge grew, I started my first two business where I learnt how to fail and how to succeed. I also learnt that I was not the kind of person to be satisfied with mediocrity.
From there I moved to London to really hone my craft in the modern Asian dining scene. I worked for big restaurant names like Nobu, Hakkasan and Gilgamesh. I began operating the Bodhi we have today on my return to Australia.
Describe a typical workday for you.
A typical day consists of early mornings rising with the sun. Some time to meditate, journal or practice my yoga before getting my kids up and ready for school.
Then it’s into head office to meet with various members of my team, working on digital content, or going over a job like an investment or a design project. I then try and stop by the restaurant to see how everything is running, say hello to the staff or some of our regular customers before I head off for the afternoon school pick up.
Once the kids are home I will try and squeeze in a few more hours work to wrap up any loose ends before going to bed.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
Do your homework and gain work experience with someone who is good at what they do to get a better understanding of the industry. Look for a mentor to help guide you or who you can ask advice from when you are unsure what to do next or just want to stress test something.
Set your business up properly from the beginning. This is especially important for those entering a partnership. Partnerships are like marriages, no one goes into one thinking they will get a divorce.
Understand your finances, running a business will always cost you more than you think it will and always save for a rainy day, Covid being a great example. Make sure you make financially sound decisions, understand the difference between a want and a need and ask yourself what the ROI (return on investment) is for everything you do.
Lastly surround yourself with good people and learn to listen to your gut instincts when it tells you something isn’t right.
What’s next for you, and Bodhi?
To continue to grow the brand with restaurant renovations in the pipeline for next year (Hopefully!). It’s an exciting time after 20 years in this location to see Bodhi reimagined for the next generation of diners.
I am currently working on developing other plant-based products and I am always on the lookout for great investments that I can use my business experience to add value.
Lastly, I will continue to create digital content and share my experience as a plant-based mum and business entrepreneur with a love of the wellness space.
