Culinova Consulting

05/01/2026

Lately, after time spent with chefs and menus on the ground, I’ve noticed a shift — food in 2026 feels calmer and more intentional.
Smaller portions (yes, Ozempic is changing habits), fibre over protein, more focus on women farmers, longevity foods, nostalgic ingredients like cabbage (very close to my Polish roots), fewer ultra-processed foods, low-emission menus, upcycled ingredients, better transparency through AI, and bold plant-forward flavours are all pointing in the same direction.
My honest take?
Sustainability in 2026 won’t be loud.
It will be built through small, sensible decisions repeated daily.
If this resonates, let’s talk 🌱

02/01/2026

It’s that time of the year when we look back and ask: what actually happened?
Here’s my 2025 in short: more chefs curious about vegan food, more hotels saying “yes, let’s try”, more plant-based dishes on menus — and a lot more proof that vegan food can be profitable, indulgent and fun.
A sincere thank you to .hospitality for supporting me throughout the year.
From boardrooms to kitchens, from talks to tasting menus, 2025 was about turning sustainability from a buzzword into something you can actually eat.

Thankful for the journey, and looking ahead.

05/11/2025

I just came back from amazing trio to Hanoi ,it was such an amazing, vibrant vegan scene, from healthy plant based options .vietnam or high protein wrap .vegan to fusion Asian . Finally my favourite meal - mainstream restaurant with amazing vegan options.

03/11/2025

So proud to see leading the way this 💚.
They established themselves as true trendsetters, becoming the first @.hospitality Vegan Friendly certified hotel in Malaysia
To celebrate World Vegan Day Sunway Resort Hotel created The Conscious Corner — a celebration of global plant-based flavours from bruschetta to Gado-Gado cabbage rolls, vegan pasta, and even plant-based mutton curry! 🌍✨
Together , we added a little extra flavour — simple CO₂ insights to help guests see how every plate makes a difference. Their vegan chocolate cake had around 38% lower emissions than a traditional version with eggs and butter — a small choice with real impact.

Kudos to for turning awareness into action

01/11/2025

🌱 World Vegan Day
Veganism isn’t just what I do — it’s who I am.
It’s my hobby, my work, my daily joy, and sometimes… my biggest challenge too.
For me, veganism is a tool — a way to live better, feel better, and make this planet a little kinder.
People living longer, with less sickness. A world with less harm and more balance.
I know not everyone is ready for it — it took me time too. But today, I just wish we could stop seeing “vegan” as something negative, extreme, or limiting.
It’s not about giving up. It’s about gaining — health, purpose, compassion, and flavour (lots of it 😋).
So yes, I’m celebrating — with gratitude, curiosity, and of course… an amazing feast. 💚

14/10/2025

Yes, I admit it — I’ve been procrastinating 😅
For the past 1.5 years, I’ve been organising sustainable dining events — dinners, breakfasts, afternoon teas — all with one goal: to show that sustainability can be delicious, joyful, and shared.
Now, it’s time to take the next step and build a community. 💚
🌿 The Green Table Club 🌿
A space that celebrates sustainable dining through fun, social events and shared meals.
We show how sustainability values can easily be translated into everyday food choices — all while connecting, laughing, and enjoying life together.
If you’re based in Malaysia (and love good food with purpose), DM me to join, I will send you the link.
Who knows — The Green Table Club might spread further than we think! 🌏✨

08/10/2025

03/10/2025

💡 Sustainability & Profitability: Two Sides of the Same Coin
In restaurants, we often discuss sustainability in terms of menus, sourcing, and waste — but not enough about profitability.
Without profits, especially for small businesses, it’s impossible to ensure fair pay for staff, support local suppliers, or reinvest in communities. And that’s central to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 🌍
From waste reduction and energy efficiency to sourcing locally, sustainable practices don’t just protect the planet — they cut costs, reduce losses, and build stronger customer loyalty.
That’s why in my sustainability workshops, I emphasise this point:
✨ Sustainability only works when it’s profitable — they must go hand in hand.

👇DM me to learn more about my workshops

29/09/2025

Last week @foodandhotelnyc (FHM) I shared how to turn “sustainability goals” into real action in the kitchen.
Chefs have so much power — every ingredient we choose changes the footprint of a dish.
My favourite part? The chat after. It showed me we still need simple, practical education in Malaysia about the link between what we eat, what chefs cook, and the planet.
Small wins that add up:
• 🌿 Make one plant-forward hero dish
• 🔁 Swap high-impact ingredients for lower-impact ones
• ♻️ Prep smart to cut waste and reuse components
• 🧮 Track the basics: cost, waste, carbon
Let’s make “sustainable” something guests can taste — not just read. ✨
&B

29/09/2025

Sustainability, plated. 🌱
This dish served is my blueprint for how restaurants can translate sustainability into something guests can taste, see, and remember.
1) Lion’s mane mushroom “rendang”
• Locally cultivated in Malaysia → shorter supply chain, fresher product, supporting local farmers
• Circular crop → typically grown on agricultural by-products (e.g., sawdust), making great use of waste streams.
• Texture + umami → delivers that satisfying, meaty bite without the animal footprint.
• Familiar flavour bridge → a rich, coconut-based local curry - rendang brings local identity and instant guest acceptance.
2) Couscous as the grain
• Lower environmental impact than animal proteins; cereals generally carry a much smaller footprint.
• Energy-smart prep → swells off-heat in minutes; perfect for portion control and reduces cooking energy.
• Waste-wise → easy to batch, finish to order, and repurpose next-day as a salad base.
3) Colourful seasonal vegetables
• Local & seasonal → fewer food miles, better flavour, better margins.
• We eat with our eyes → vibrant colours signal freshness and value before the first bite.

👨‍🏫How other restaurants can learn from this plate
• Lead with a plant-based hero ingredient (like lion’s mane) and anchor it in a beloved local flavour (rendang) for easy adoption.
• Build a low-energy starch (couscous, millet, local grains) into the dish to cut cook time and control portions.
• Design for cross-utilisation: one rendang base = mains, bowls, and canapés.
• Train the team to tell the story on the menu: “Locally grown mushrooms, low-energy grain, seasonal veg.”
• Track cost, sell-through, and waste—this is sustainability that improves margins, not just messaging.
Beautiful, delicious, operationally smart.

This is sustainability in practice and personally I would love to see more places following footsteps.

26/09/2025

Confession time: I first became food consultant for a selfish reason.
Because honestly… whenever I ate out, the options were boring. Same salad. Same pasta. Nothing that felt exciting.

Then came sustainability — and that wasn’t much better. I’d walk into hotels and restaurants with huge “SUSTAINABLE” claims plastered everywhere… and yet, not a single vegan dish on the menu. That felt wrong.

Here’s what I’ve learned: you don’t have to be vegan to run a sustainable business. But if your menu ignores plant-based options, it’s not truly sustainable either.

I’m Anna 👋 Founder of Culinova Consulting.
My mission? To help hotels & restaurants not just look sustainable, but actually deliver it — in a way that also boosts their profits.

Because for me, sustainability isn’t about a logo or a claim. It’s about what’s on the plate. 🌍✨

22/09/2025

🌱✨ I left our Sustainable Menu – Practical Strategies for Professional Kitchens session at feeling so energised by the team’s openness and curiosity.
Together we explored how a truly sustainable menu rests on three pillars:
🌍 Planet – reducing impact
🤝 People – equity, culture, inclusivity
🥗 Guests – nutrition, wellness, safety
What inspires me most is that Sunway already has roots in this work. Their hydroponic rooftop urban farm (with Sunway XFarms) grows herbs and fresh produce for their kitchens, while also running workshops on healthy eating, food security, waste, and water management. 🌿
Sustainability goes beyond just “buy local.” It’s about designing menus that cut carbon and waste, celebrate culture, and support guest wellbeing—every service, every plate.
👏 Cheering for the Sunway team and excited to see these ideas come alive in their kitchens and guest experiences.

💚 I love to see more organisations follow this path.