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Mina Sandiford

Entrepreneur’s passion for nutrition turns up the heat on First Nations’ fusion foods

Alexandria Bipatnath cooks up a layered approach to business

ALEXANDRIA BIPATNATH’S entrepreneurial goals are as dynamic as the tasty recipes she whips up in her kitchen. But being an entrepreneur, “you’re forever going to be a learner and you’re constantly going to be facing obstacles of some sort,” she said.

A certified holistic nutrition practitioner who specializes in First Nation fusion foods, Ms. Bipatnath is the founder of The Wholesome Conscious, an Anishinaabe and Guyanese-owned company with mul­tifaceted offerings, including catering, public speaking and virtual food demonstration and education services. After she graduated from Seneca’s Fitness & Health Promotion diploma program in 2017, she furthered her studies at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Toronto before launching her own catering business in 2018.

“The Fitness & Health Promotion program gave me a well-rounded perspective of the different avenues a person could take in health and wellness,” Ms. Bipatnath said. “Seneca was my second home. As soon as I went to Seneca, my entire life changed in so many positive aspects.”

Ms. Bipatnath’s academic training was put to the test in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impending restrictions. Forced to put her catering services on pause, she pivoted to an online platform, hosting virtual food demonstrations and educational programming instead. She appeared on The Marilyn Denis Show to share her expertise on postpartum nutrition and led food demonstrations for Wavy, a company that helps businesses build healthy corporate culture.

A move to Arizona in 2021 to be with her partner, Jared Tso and a foray into motherhood have ushered in additional opportunities for Ms. Bipatnath. Mr. Tso is a celebrated Diné (Navajo) potter. Together, the couple collaborated on a gallery show at King Galleries in Santa Fe, N.M. this fall to explore “food and vessel.” The exhibition included a catalogue that doubled as a recipe book, featuring a selection of Ms. Bipatnath’s recipes, including her signature butter­nut squash soup with curry.

Alongside her nutrition business, Ms. Bipatnath, an Anishinaabe Kwe, has enrolled in the Ojibwe language program at the University of Minnesota with the inten­tion of incorporating a comprehensive understanding of Ojibwe storytelling, teachings and ceremony into her food practice.

“Using the Ojibwe language to speak about plants, foods and concepts in their traditional names allows for the reclamation of culture and identity,” she said. “This will allow me to continue the oral histories and legacies of the Ojibwe people.”