Ruth Merino graduated in nutrition and dietetics in Seville, but she didn't want to be a typical nutritionist who sees patients, so she combined her two passions, healthy food and gastronomy, into a business idea, La Cocinera Saludable, which offers Lanzarote residents vegetarian and vegan menus that are "balanced and full of flavor" for events and individuals.
La Cocinera Saludable has been one of the two winning companies of the latest edition of the Seeds of Talent award promoted by the Employment Area of the Cabildo de Lanzarote and managed by the Chamber of Commerce.
Thanks to this award, Merino will have a free office, as well as professional support and training in business management. In an interview with Ekonomus, she explains how La Cocinera Saludable came about and what it offers.
- What is the business idea of La Cocinera Saludable?
La Cocinera Saludable arises to combine my passion for nutrition and my passion for cooking to offer a 100% healthy cooking service where vegetable and local products are enhanced.
But not only healthy, but also delicious, enhancing the flavor of vegetables and giving them the prominence they deserve as the basis of our diet. I research and experiment a lot in the kitchen to try to make flavor combinations that are interesting to the palate.
"A Brussels sprout combines very well with a cranberry"
For example, a Brussels sprout combines very well with a cranberry. These are combinations that achieve an explosion of flavor in the mouth. Another example is sauces with a base of quality extra virgin olive oil, which we combine with some spices and other healthy ingredients to find new flavors and experiences.
- How did you get to Lanzarote?
Five years ago I had to do an internship to finish my nutrition studies and I came to Lanzarote, to a healthy cooking school for children. I remember that, among other things, we made oatmeal cookies using dates instead of sugar. This work allowed me to understand that it was possible to transmit my nutrition knowledge through cooking.
- Who are your main clients?
La Cocinera Saludable is a project focused in two directions: catering for events, especially yoga or fitness retreats, and a food service for people who want to eat well in their daily lives and don't know how. I make them a menu adapted to their needs and health and nutrition goals and take it to their home.
"We are experiencing a transformation in awareness about food"
In my weekly cooking service I have between four and six clients to be able to offer a quality service. In the yoga retreats, I have an average of two retreats a month, I am cooking all day for about 15-20 people.
- Apart from yoga and fitness retreats, are you open to preparing menus for other types of events?
Of course, as long as they have a philosophy in common with mine, in which the quality of the work and the products is valued. Yoga retreats fit very well with my business because they are more related to healthy and plant-based eating.
- Do you plan to hire employees to grow your business?
Right now I am alone but I am totally open to finding someone who wants to work with me so that my project can expand more. It is many hours of work to prepare a menu, do the shopping, prepare the dishes, serve them, clean... There is also a lot of work behind it: invoices, business plan, social networks...
- Do you think that vegan and vegetarian food will play a much more relevant role in the majority of the population in the coming years?
I think so, we are experiencing a transformation in mentality and awareness about food, although it is still difficult for the island's residents to understand the economic importance of a quality service.
