The Skinny Buddha Timeline
The Skinny Buddha Timeline
Life Before Buddha
We both had our hands full… Chef was corporate catering out of her home kitchen, teaching cooking classes in home and all around town, and most importantly, mommying three cute little kids. Shaka was boxing, performing, promoting parties, going to massage school, and personal training.
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2007
Chef starts training with Shaka. Shaka designs a fitness plan for Chef, who creates the meals, follows the guidelines and achieves weight loss. Ideas for a collaboration start brewing.
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2010
Skinny Buddha sub-leases a small gym space and works with small groups to implement our Detox and Weight Loss programs, with meals included. After two months of success, rapid weight-loss, and rave reviews from our clients... Skinny Buddha is kicked out of the space we were sub-leasing. We're forced to scramble to find a new gym location quickly.... Chef's house is the only viable temporary solution.
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2011
Growing pains lead to our new home... Skinny Buddha Fitness Center is founded. We design and build-out a small boutique fitness center, where we can train clients, offer small group fitness classes, massage therapy, and yoga. Chef prepares meals for clients out of her home kitchen. Hundred of meals are flying out of the front door, side door, garage door, and anywhere else we could find space to put a second, and third, and fourth refrigerator. -
2013
Somebody calls the Health Department... we were ratted out. Apparently, you're not supposed to run a full-scale commercial operation out of a residence... oops (we think we know who told). Skinny Buddha sub-leases various commercial kitchen spaces around town. NONE of them come anywhere close to the level of cleanliness of Chef's kitchen. Part of our daily clean-up routine was saran-wrapping all of our equipment so that the other people working in the space couldn't use or spray their filth on our stuff. Plus, every morning when we come in, we literally start the day by washing down the walls and tabletops before we even think of pulling out any of our ingredients. Skinny Buddha Organic Kitchen is founded! HALLELUJAH. For the first few months, we just cook for our gym and corporate catering clients. Then, at the request of our gym clients, we open a small pickup window in the lobby of the kitchen so they can come and grab soups and prepared items from a limited menu to take home. (Sounds fancy, but we literally cut a hole in the door, make it a window, and put a small fridge in the hallway.) At this time, we also start selling some of our food at local farmers' markets, craft and art festivals, local school events, and local holiday fairs. -
2014
We change the design and layout of the kitchen and open it up to the public, so we can accommodate our growing base of customers. We outgrow the small table-top fridge in the lobby rather quickly and have to find a full-size fridge to replace it. We add a couch (which once lived in Chef's home) so customers have a comfortable place to sit while they wait for their orders or enjoy their food. -
2015
Skinny Buddha Organic Cafe is founded. We open our second food-only location at the train station in Scarsdale. We create a cozy environment with tables and chairs, perfect for our customers to meet a friend for lunch or get some work done on their computer while waiting for the train.
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2016
After five years of the Fitness Center, we decide to shut our doors. When the lease ends, to the dismay of our fitness clients, we focus our attention on the food arm of the business, though Shaka continues doing a small amount of in-home training. At this time, we also transition our menu to reflect our current lifestyle. We eliminate all animal products from our menu. We change our recipes, creating vegan versions of the ones previously containing meat, dairy, eggs, and honey. This year, we are voted Best Health Food Cafe in Westchester County!
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2017
With the gym closed and the kitchen in Mount Kisco getting more and more popular, we once again redesign the space. We add a prepared foods deli case, so customers can get salads and vegetables by the pound. We add a bakery case with our vegan and gluten-free baked goods. Our families continue to chip in. Shaka's father builds a counter in the lobby for people who want to stay and eat; his mother brings plants for decorations, coming by regularly to make sure they get watered! Chef's parents help with catering events: cleaning kale, making meatballs, etc. Sisters, children, cousins, friends... we are so thankful for all your help and continued support. It DEFINITELY takes a village. -
2018
Voted Best Health Food Cafe in Westchester County, again! We take Skinny Buddha on the road and win the Culinary Fight Club Competition, enabling us to be a part of the Made in America Festival in Philadelphia. We also rock the NYC Vegan Festivals (you should see the lines, it's awesome!).
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2019
Voted finalist in the Westchester Magazine Best Chef, Best Health Food Cafe, Best Veg-Friendly Restaurant, Best Muffin, and Best Salad Category. Yay!! We took home the win for Best Salad in all of Westchester County! After four years of success, we decided we were finally ready to take NYC by storm. It was time to close our Scarsdale location and open up in the East Village.
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2020
After a great start in our new East Village location, we end up in a bidding war to extend our lease. Deeper pockets prevail, and unfortunately we are forced to pack up and vacate. Meanwhile, up in Mount Kisco our old neighbor moves out of the space right next to the kitchen, freeing the way for the return of our fitness studio, and the new and improved Skinny Buddha Food & Fitness! 2020, HERE WE COME!
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2020
After the murder of George Floyd, we search our County for a protest that we can attend to show our support for the anti-police brutality movement. Our Skinny Buddha community reaches out to us for information on how to get involved. We look at our mission statement and realize, that it’s our responsibility to practice what we preach, it’s time to take action. On Sunday June 7th almost a thousand Skinny Buddha's show up to laugh, cry, scream, and walk in solidarity with us at “The Peoples Peaceful March Against Police Brutality".
