The Paisley Notebook

Meet my Granny: She was all four grandparents rolled into one. This small yet mighty lady raised me to lead with my heart and use my voice, and she just let me be me. She wasn’t your average brown grandma. For starters, she was born in Fiji. Her diet was the direct opposite of pure veg - she’d eat seafood, skinned and butchered rabbits and other culinary badassery. I just learned that Granny worked on a sugarcane farm. She gave birth to one of her kids - likely my Dad - in the field after her shift had ended, AND then she went back to work the next day!

At home, we had all kinds of adventures together, from teddy bear picnics to indoor relay races. But here’s the thing: those adventures weren’t reserved for us. When we were at school, my brown suit-wearing Granny - who couldn’t speak English, let alone read or write it - had the number ‘7’ traced out on a folded-up piece of paper in her purse to help her identify which bus to hop on and off of. I just remember her coming home with treats like doughnuts. (If only GoPro/GrannyCam were a *thing* back then.)

Granny was super crafty; she liked to make things with her hands, like a hand fan, using a metal coat hanger and some leftover suit material. Paper boats were another specialty. But baking was her jam - we’d come home to the smell of a freshly baked apple pie or crumble (she called it ‘apple kambal,’ which means ‘blanket’ in Punjabi. I like her name way better). She probably learned from watching the BBC and replicating the steps without ratios or equipment. We hated that apple tree because it was smack bang in the middle of our back garden football/cricket pitch, but it created some of my most precious food memories. Best of all, she was also as much of an Arsenal and England fan as we were, so we huddled in front of the T.V. to watch as a family. She was so proud when i played for both.

We’ve always been too unconventional for some. But she saw the good in us - and loved us with all her heart (broken Punjabi, quirks and all). reframed things to say “Joy is the nucleus of grief.” So, why would i ever want to ‘get over’ a love like that?

You and me, Granny, always and forever x

Gunnersaurus Rex, I’m coming for ya! Getting excited for my first Arsenal Women game at the Emirates this Sunday - it is also the first time Mum is coming out since my playing days. I already know so many memories that I haven’t thought of for decades will come flooding back. Like the good old days, we’ll be taking the train up to London, then the tube, followed by a short walk to the stadium. We used to do this twice a week as I juggled my GCSEs and A-levels. Back then, we never got paid so my parents put money aside so I could play for my dream club (plus all the physio bills, goalie gloves and extra training sessions, etc). Dad clocked something like 70,000 miles in one season. He would drive us back to Southampton after he was done at work in the city to then drive back on Sundays for games. When they say South Asian parents aren’t supportive, I have to disagree. (But that’s only my personal experience.)

It’s been six weeks since I’ve been back in England, and it’s fair to say there have been a lot of big feelings. My ADHD diagnosis only came after TikTok got me thinking, ‘Wait a minute...’ Moving continents for a second time - fresh off a formal neurospicy diagnosis - has given me a new perspective on my playing career. It turned out that I just liked the dopamine hit when people tried to kick a ball at my head! Every interaction with the game is stirring memories I haven’t thought of in decades. It’s pretty wild. Walking onto a football pitch still makes all the excess noise disappear, even after all these years. The whole thing got me reflecting on some teeny things that could have helped my younger self feel safer. I get that everyone’s journey is different, but I wanted to pass on a few of those 🧠 thoughts.

Headphones: For as long as I can remember, I’ve used words - whether music lyrics or poetry - to help pull apart my feelings and regulate them. Even though I can’t function without music in my day-to-day, I never did this as an athlete; instead, I used the 1.5-hour car ride to Arsenal Women home games to overanalyze everything! Listening to 8D audio tracks with AirPods stimulates my brain and brings a sense of calm, which you want before a game.

A Buddy/Mentor: I work best with one-on-one interaction. The night before my England debut, the assistant coach sat me down to explain that I’d be playing in the next game, and she just had my back. Looking back, that is part of why I had a dream debut. After the England squad dropped me, I got in my head and questioned why Arsenal - undoubtedly the best club in the country - would want me. I needed someone to take me under their wing and hype me up. (Like, how many can say the senior Arsenal squad signed them as a 15- 16 year-old?! Own it, kiddo!). I was commuting from Southampton to London for training sessions and games, so building that rapport was trickier.

Rest up: People’ing is exhausting! It is okay to go quiet and retreat into low-battery self-preservation mode until you’ve recharged in whatever way works for YOU.

What if I post food AND a little footy from now on?

India, March 2024. Beautifully captured on film by .wan.kenobi during our last group tour of India. We explored Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Mumbai for Holi, the festival of colours. With “Miss India” (aka Mum) as the ultimate guide, the idea is to teach people about our culture through the country’s diverse foodways. This time around, I was there! So, naturally I told stories, chose the eateries and picked every dish on the table. It’s pretty cool to show off India through my diaspora kid eyes. We’re doing it all along next year from March 5-17. Wanna come?

In case you didn’t notice, I’ve got a ‘thing’ about pop-up dinners. I don’t think they get enough love so I put together a roundup of four that I’ve been drooling over. Read it online at the Globe now.

Featuring Bite House, The Abibiman Project, Han Wi Moon Dinners and An Island Collective. (For the record, The Soy Luck Club is on that list too but I just profiled Eva Chin.)

Had a memorable meal at Chishuru, followed by a fantastic chat with Joké Bakare, a self-taught chef who started her culinary journey by winning an amateur cooking competition. Today, her modern West African restaurant won a Michelin Star. The interview is coming soon to the Globe and Mail ✌🏽

Royal Spice + Steak (including the meaty mushroom kind) = match made in heaven. All you need to do is temper the meat, liberally sprinkle the nose-tickling peppery mix, add salt and red chilli, then grill. To take it up a notch, baste with the garlic butter.

Each blend is now on sale for $7. I’ve just done an inventory count and here’s what’s left:

Chai/Baking Spice = 25x (I found more packets when I moved, lol)

Mum’s Garam Masala = 23x

Royal Spice = 91x

Kadhai Spice = 64x

Malabar Mix = 114x

Head over to Paisleynotebook.com/shop. They also make great stocking stuffers, and if you pop the packets in the freezer, they be fresher for even longer!

M A M A , T H A N K Y O U ! ❤️❤️❤️
I somehow stumbled into a professional kitchen in 2014. From that day on, it’s been the two of us. Not many can say they’ve gone their entire culinary career cooking alongside one chef, let alone their mother, but I can. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way!

We only moved to Canada because my Dad got sick, and it was a now-or-never situation to make his dream a reality. (Ok, that is a bit of an understatement: he had an emergency triple heart bypass while on holiday in India, followed by a stroke on the plane ride home.) You can say our Canadian adventure was an even bumpier ride. Just as my parents signed a mortgage on a house, Dad ended up in the hospital, but this time, the doctors took us into the tiny room to say he wasn’t going to make it (he made it). That was the day I unexpectedly became part of the family business (by that, I should also mention that none of us had ever worked in, let alone owned a restaurant). Alone in a new country, the clock was ticking to open a business to satisfy the entrepreneurial visa. We were the last two family members standing as we closed the doors of Poppadoms in January 2016.

For the past seven years, has worked every single Paisley pop-up, catering, and event. Whether on top of a mountain, a borrowed barge on the lake or at a farm in 44 degrees, she has worked so so hard to make my weird ideas a reality. Last year, we suddenly lost our only non-family employee in Laticia, and Mum juggled a full-time job (which meant she had to be at work by 7 am the morning after working one of my events). Everything about it gave me flashbacks of when she decided to come back to work at the restaurant just five days after having a heart attack because it was August in the Okanagan, and she knew we were short-staffed. For 16 years straight, all we’ve done is hustle. It wasn’t fair to ask my soon-to-be 65-year-old mother to keep popping up with me. It felt like it was time for us to give small business life a break to open things up and find more joy, happiness, roam around on a free bus pass, and twice-annual culinary tours to 🇮🇳, so that’s what we’re doing.

My latest article for The Globe and Mail was brought to life so brilliantly.

Did you know my double-sided market totes are handmade in BC by a social enterprise non-profit that teaches at risk women new skills? I also opted for water soluble inks and not plastisol. Head over to PaisleyNotebook.com/shop to pick one up for $20 now. (There’s a free pickup option in Kelowna too.)

Don’t mean to scare you, but there are only 30 bags of my chai/baking spice left on the webstore. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, gone so maybe briskly head over to paisleynotebook.com/shop to stock up.

The last teeny tiny batch of mum’s garam masala was roasted and packed yesterday. Just 40 bags left on the webstore, and then that’s it. Don’s stop, get it, get it.

Paisleynotebook.com/shop

INDIA TOUR REVIEW:
“From the beginning of the tour planning, Aman and Jasbinder-ji made us feel at home and at ease. Every detail was taken care of, and all communications leading up to the trip were top-notch (from visas to vaccines, what to pack, etc). Their curated itinerary through India is absolutely not to be missed - I will be dreaming of every bite from every restaurant, food stall and every sip of chai for years to come. Not to mention, we saw so many incredible sights and had so many unreal experiences - from visiting Qutub Minar, India Gate, Taj Mahal and Amer Fort to riding in a bicycle rickshaw in Old Delhi and celebrating Holi. Most importantly, we got to see, taste, and experience India through Aman and Jasbinder-ji’s eyes. That personal touch of hearing their stories about the people, foods, places and experiences so important to them while cultivating our own experiences as a group was absolutely magical. It was a truly unforgettable culinary, sightseeing, and overall travel experience with an amazing group of people!” — Rozina from Nova Scotia, travelled on the March 2024 Holi trip.

We have finalized the itineraries for Diwali 2024 (Oct/Nov) and Holi 2025 (Mar). If you’d like to hear more, email [email protected]. Best of all, you can join us from anywhere in the world.

We’re ready to tour you around India again this fall for Diwali or next spring for Holi. The idea is to showcase our beautiful culture through the country’s diverse foodways.

Here’s where we’re heading:
Diwali (Oct/Nov 2024):
Delhi / Amritsar / Kashmir / Jodhpur
(With option to visit the Taj Mahal before we kick off)

Holi (March 2025):
Delhi / Agra / Jaipur / Mumbai
(We’ve streamlined this year’s itinerary by removing some of the bus rides, added better hotels and picked out even more delicious eateries and new discoveries)

If you want to know more, email [email protected].

Hi, I’m Aman 👋🏽. I’m a cook 🔪, storyteller ✍🏻, former , and footballer ⚽️, people watcher 👀, imperfect environmentalist 🌍, feminist-in-progress, ramen lover 🍜, middle child 🙋🏽‍♀️, and just weird enough to be interesting. Oh, and I think in pictures and I’m obsessed with fire 🔥. As of today, I can add an official ADHD diagnosis to the list, which makes SO much sense. I now understand why I can tackle ambiguous pop-up situations like a boss, why football was so good for me growing up, why poetry and music lyrics help me pull apart my feelings, why deadlines are a necessary part of my life, and why it is so damn easy to scare me when I’m in the zone! 👻

During the 75-minute assessment, I realized how many systems I put in place to navigate things, even as a kid. Constantly living in fight-or-flight mode is exhausting, so I’m looking forward to lessening that burden. And I suppose it’s ok if I wasn’t able to dismantle white supremacy single-handedly during my time in Canada...

✌🏽

📷 .froehler

This has been a long time coming, so it probably isn’t a surprise. But after 16 years in Canada-land, it’s time for Mum and I to return home to England. Without getting into things, we simply didn’t receive enough for us to want to stay - and I think we deserve so much more happiness. Going home this past January, there was ease, opportunity, and abundance. For the first time in ages, we’re excited about the possibilities. Honestly, I could keep this going, but I really don’t want to.

The plan is to continue to write for Canadian media outlets. Mum will still offer her culinary tour of India, so I think of it as us working remotely in a place where we have family and friends, footy and fish and chips! With the big move fast approaching, I’ve discounted my spice blends to (hopefully) shift some stock and help us juggle the relocation (again). Once we Brexit, Harry will fulfil orders on my behalf until everything is done. (I also have limited edition BC-made tote bags, hint hint!)

‘Food Me’ is a seed sprouted in Canada; I am forever grateful for that. We may not have got our happily ever ever but I’m returning as not just a marketing geek and former Southampton, England and Arsenal footballer anymore but also a self-taught chef with an award-winning pop-up series, former restaurateur and freelance journalist. (Pop-up life has equipped me with an endless stream of examples for that “tell me about a time when you handled a difficult situation’ question.)

Take this as a reminder to choose yourself first, for setting intentions and dreaming with care. See you very soon, England fam 🦁🦁🦁

PaisleyNotebook.com/shop

With top–notch eateries, magical wildlife tours and epic beaches, British Columbia’s “Wilder West” is an ideal spot for spending the weekend outdoors. Here’s where to turn for your next quick trip.

The Getaway: Tofino — Air Canada enRoute With top-notch eateries, magical wildlife tours and epic beaches, British Columbia’s “Wilder West” is an ideal spot for spending the weekend outdoors.

MEET THE CITIZENS OF SOIL .palestine 🍉 For Palestinian-American Nasser Abufarha, the olive tree provides more than sustenance and income. It symbolizes his people’s identity, cultural traditions and resistance under Israeli occupation. Since 2004, Canaan Palestine’s network has grown to 2,500 regenerative family farms in 50 villages across the West Bank, pressing on average 1.5 million litres of extra-virgin olive oil each season, which it ships globally. The Globe and Mail (well, i did) spoke to Abufarha about the mystique of old-growth olive trees, farming under siege and turning a commodity into a community one olive oil shipment at a time:

What’s it like to walk alongside ancient 3000-year-old olive trees in the West Bank?

They’re so beautiful; the wrinkles in the trunk show her age. As the root system meets the soil, it expands outwards, almost hugging the land. The tree is so expressive of how much she loves home. We’ve changed cultural orientation many times in the holy land, but the tree continues to give across cultures. What kept this vegetation going is that the Canaanite relationship with fertility and regeneration hasn’t changed among the people.

What are your hopes for Canaan Palestine – and your homeland?

What we have is not only Palestinian; it’s a human legacy. A lot has radiated from this land, whether religion, cultural ideas or the development of the alphabet. To have this vibrant farming culture and wisdom still alive today is a treasure for our world. The only way to preserve this is to recognize Palestinians’ entitlement to live their culture in their landscape.

// While some take ownership of the land by nurturing it, others do so by destroying it. For more info on this super delicious organic and fair trade olive oil, visit CanaanPalestine.com.

📷 Courtesy of Canaan Palestine. (Note: Photos taken prior to this most recent war.)

1. Dr. Nasser Abufarha with an ancient olive tree.
2. Olive farmer Abdeljabbar Al Qirim and family in Jenin, Palestine.
3. Jenin, Canaan Palestine’s signature olive oil.

So…this just happened 🙌🏽

A Former Professional Soccer Player Is Hosting the Coolest Pop-Up Dinners in Canada

For the past six months, my emails have randomly ended up in people’s spam folder. That has truly been a royal pain in my small business ass, but today, I finally got that fixed! If you’re looking for a stocking stuffer that smells delicious and tastes even better, 🎅🏽 says to get your orders in by Wednesday to make sure it arrives before the holidays (it usually takes a week via Canada Post).

Shop at PaisleyNotebook.com/shop

S E V A 4 P @ L 3 S T 1 N 3 ! ! !
The concept of seva or 'selfless service' runs deep in South Asian cultures and this little project of mine. When you care enough about something, you don't retreat into silence. You act.

Even though my season officially wrapped, I'm auctioning off an eight-person private pop-up in your Okanagan home with wine. The starting bid is $1000. 100% of the proceeds (minus the food cost) will head to and to feed the humans of G@za. Either DM your bid or email me at [email protected]. The last time I did this, we raised $2500. (Note: if you're really rich and want to throw in a flight and accommodation, I will hop on a plane to feed you!)

There is no peace until everybody is equal. There is no peace without liberation. There is no peace without dismantling the empire of lies carried by c0lonialism and wh1te supr3macy. I'm proud to be perpetually shadow banned by social media for talking about discrimination and human rights every damn day!

Let the bidding commence.

📷 Janalla Photography

Check out the profile I wrote for The Globe and Mailing tomorrow’s newspaper. It’s the warm and fuzzy story in the Pursuits section.

For my first assignment for The Globe and Maill, I profiled Bardia Ilbeiggi of Vancouver’s Delara.

With approximately 70,000 Iranians calling B.C. home, Ilbeiggi hoped Delara would “be a place that Iranians are proud of and it would become a sanctuary for us to show the world that we are smart, artistic, kind, welcoming, hospitable people.” Over the past two years, that has become a reality.

Persian hospitality – and a forward-thinking chef – are at the heart of Vancouver’s Delara With a Michelin recommendation, Chef Bardia Ilbeiggi has stood out for showcasing his culture and an underrated part of the culinary world