About
Short bio:
Tanya Maher (pronounced Marr) is a leading pioneer in the world of ultra-nutritious and energising plant-based foods for the whole family. Tanya co-founded 'Tanya's,’ a high-end raw cafe in 2014 and merged it with her established wellness company 'Better Raw' in 2017. She is the creator of the Amazon #1 best selling DVD 'Raw Food 101' and author of Hay House's 'The Uncook Book' (available to purchase worldwide, here). Born in Russia, raised in New Zealand and now raising her own family in London, Tanya has been hailed as one of the most recognised experts in the world of gourmet raw food by the likes of Vogue, Daily Mail and Women's Health.
Long story:
Combining five years in London and my unwavering passion for spreading the message of ultimate health, I somehow made a global mark as a detox and raw food expert and have been hailed by the media as the UK's top holistic coach.
My weekly ritual consisted of blogging on www.BetterRaw.com, facilitating meditation retreats in the UK and Ecuador, running raw food workshops around London, writing recipe eBooks, speaking at some of UK's most prestigious events, promoting my Amazon #1 selling DVD RawFood101, collaborating on menu development with various living food brands and working with a select number of clients in bespoke coaching programs.
One day I received a phone call from a dynamic duo couple, Linda and Andreas, enquiring about wellness coaching. I loved them immediately. They were probably two of the busiest people I've ever met, travelling the world, running a group of hotels in Chelsea, Bloomsbury and Brighton, called myhotels, all while building a brand new wellness centre in Corfu. Yet, there was so much peace within them and light around them, it was both inspiring and humbling to get an opportunity of becoming their coach. They always referred to me as Raw Tanya, I suppose for the cuisine I promoted and for speaking my truth so openly.
On one of our Skype sessions, Andreas asked me to list some of the raw food eateries in London for them to explore. It was an easy task because I could count them on my two hands. Yet there was still none that were fully raw and fully organic. He was surprised that my list didn't include Chelsea (Andreas and Linda spent the majority of their time there), to that I asked him if he could wait a few months.
Andreas and I at Tanya's Cafe SupperClub 22nd Sept 2014
Just weeks prior to this conversation, I added my very own raw food restaurant to my vision board with two locations in mind- Chelsea or Parson's Green. I was already speaking to agents and gathering information on the area, when Andreas invited me to myhotel Chelsea for viewing it as an option.
The moment I stepped into the hotel, I was instantly drawn to the energy within it and blown away by the powerful mandalas on its walls and crystals on its shelves. Then seeing the conservatory was really something else. It embodied everything wellness stands for and I could instantly imagine a multitude of smiling faces spread under its glass roof, enjoying green juices, conversation and raw chocolates.
As a company, myhotels began to green their way several years ago by joining forces with Healthy Planet, which led them to put recycling bins in all of the rooms, use Bio-cleaning products in all their hotels and put their most important ally in food production- the honey bee, on their roof tops.
Raw food fit into their ever-emerging profile as a Green hotel perfectly but it was the sheer decadence of flavour, which was the piece of the Chelsea puzzle that seamlessly sealed the deal!
Both Andreas and Linda saw my capacity to create food that was not just healthy for people and the planet but stunning and delicious by any standard. Our values aligned in all possible ways and we were all ecstatic to join forces in offering such a beautiful, innovative and enlivening cuisine to Chelsea, London and everyone visiting the UK.
I collaborated with friends to first run a few SupperClubs, called Raw in Chelsea. These evenings attracted attendees from all across Europe and sold out within days.
We already knew that we wanted to offer cold pressed juices and nut milk coffees for breakfast, artisan living dishes for lunch and superfood cocktails after four, but we hadn't come up with a name for the restaurant. So I began asking everyone to write down name suggestions in their SupperClub, Workshop and Retreat feedback forms. Without offering any ideas myself, the majority wrote this... 'Tanya's'.
Tanya's was born.
About the relaunch...
Tanya’s opened its doors to the public after a mini soft opening on 28th July 2014. It was the sunniest of all sunny days, we had more people through the doors than anticipated and managed to run out of ALL the food.
Yep, it’s true! Someone travelled for 3 hours to us on a train, only to discover that our kitchen wasn’t serving any more dishes and asked if we could scrape out any remains.
We’ve had days when we’d run out of raw carrot cake and one table would strike a deal with another to leave them a forkful. We’ve had days with queues of people stretching outside. Some were willing to eat standing! We’ve had 18-hour-work days. We’ve had juice-exploding-all-over-the-ceiling days, chocolate-melting-all-over-the-counter days, bring-your-baby-to-work days (and work-with-that-baby-strapped-to-you days) and even chef-wearing-six-inch-heels days. We’ve had days when Tanya’s was on a billboard at Knightsbridge station.
There were so many days of Tanya’s.
I wouldn’t even change one of them! After all, it is my calling to spread the message of living foods and all I’ve ever done, which truly mattered, has been because YOU asked for it.
-You asked for 1-2-1 coaching so I personalised my workshops.
-When all of your friends wanted a detox plan of their own, PDF docs were created.
-This, in turn, birthed my first eBook ‘Purified’.
-You said you lived too far away for my classes, ‘Raw Food 101’ DVD was the answer.
-Retreats were developed for those keen to live and breathe this lifestyle for a week.
-More recipes and hot tips called for ‘The Uncook Book’ to be written.
-You wanted to enjoy those recipes with a day off from the kitchen, Tanya’s cafe in Chelsea was created.
So after a pop-up at a fitness centre and a pop-up at Selfridges, after countless events, bespoke raw cake orders, Opentable bookings, deliveries and take aways, and after the ‘Made in Chelsea’ plus ‘The Apprentice’ appearance, we know exactly what You’re after next…
You want Tanya’s cakes, juices and adventure bowls, but you want them EVEN faster and in MORE locations.
And so it shall be!
We closed the restaurant in November 2016 for a big and super exciting remodel!
On 19th June 2017, Tanya’s opened its doors once again, but in a very new way!
Here's what's different:
-We're now open from 7am till 11pm with the full menu restocked into the store’s fridges each morning.
-Pop in on your way to work to pick up an Adventure Salad Bowl without the wait.
-Our partnership with My Chelsea means that the beautiful newly refurbished The Living Room is now available to all of Tanya’s customers and My Chelsea guests, so if you’re after a Medicinal Mushroom Latte with coconut milk and your colleague needs her traditional Cappuccino (or vice versa), there’s no more need to dine in separate restaurants.
-We made it easily accessible for you to pop in and either Grab’n’Go or Grab’n’DineIn. We've even installed our very own door from street level!
-It’s very relaxed and there are now power points all throughout, so bring your laptop and work away in a green living environment.
-Tanya’s partnership with Deliveroo and Quiqup means that you can get anything delivered throughout London!
-My famous whole cakes are now available to purchase and collect in-store without preorder. Soon they will be available for online order also to be delivered across London.
Expect to see Tanya’s best-sellers at various London’s shops soon, but for now- come and be among the first to experience the brand-new Tanya’s and The Living Room.
-Be social with us! Follow @tanyasliving and tag us with #tanyasliving or #todayisthebestday
-We love you! Thank you for the years of support and for continuing to inspire us to do more good. You are the best!