Wow… this month has been mental.
You’ve probably heard the big news (and no, we weren’t pregnant, as many of you thought).
I do have to say, I wish that when a woman says, “I have big news,” other things would come to mind, like getting a new puppy, as someone suggested 😂 or, you know, dreams coming true, reaching a professional goal, building something from scratch.
Don’t get me wrong, being pregnant is absolutely big news, and I respect that deeply, but women are more than that.
February was huge for us. We hosted our second Supper Club, and it felt special for a couple of reasons.
First, we tried a pay-as-you-feel system, which (I’m happy to say) worked really well.
And second, upstairs at the venue, some of the couples who have booked their weddings with us were tasting dishes at the same time. No pressure, right? It was nerve-wracking (maybe not quite MasterChef level), but when people trust you with such an important day, it means everything.
In the end, it went beautifully. Everyone loved the food and left amazing reviews (yes, even a few meat-eaters!).
After the Supper Club, we were preparing to share the big news… and that’s when the nerves really kicked in.
We didn’t know how Gemma would be edited or how her story would be portrayed on MasterChef. Everything had been filmed more than nine months ago (like a pregnancy… so maybe it wasn’t that off-topic after all 😂).
When she recorded her backstory, she cooked two dishes, one of them venison. At the time, she was still working part-time at Bon Vivant restaurant and explained that she no longer felt right cooking meat, which is one of the reasons she started Planet G.
We were worried that part of the story might be misunderstood, so we even prepared some explanatory videos for social media.
In the end, they didn’t include that part, and everything felt aligned.
Watching MasterChef was an incredible experience.
But honestly, what I loved most was sharing it with friends and family. We all gathered at home to watch it together for the first time, and it was such a special moment.
I won’t spoil anything if you haven’t seen it, but I am unbelievably proud of her. Gemma stepped up and represented the LGBTQ+ community on national TV, women in professional kitchens, and plant-based food. That takes courage.
And she even showed her funny side. Iconic. Canoons!!!
On top of that, we did two markets.
At Stockbridge, to be honest, we didn’t notice much difference in sales. But at Leith Market, so many of you came by, including new faces who said they’d seen Gemma on TV.
Thank you so much.
One of our goals with the markets is to make our food more accessible, and hopefully one day we’ll have a long queue because people realise you can’t get better homemade food for £12.
And finally… one of the most painful chapters of the past year has finally closed for good. After more than a year, we got the food truck back fully repaired and branded. It’s been intense. But we’re choosing to see the accident not just as something negative. If Gemma hadn’t been stuck at home, sad and without clear job prospects, she might never have applied to MasterChef. And we might not have pushed ourselves to secure the production kitchen and focus more on catering and weddings, which, honestly, is one of the most effective ways to change people’s minds about plant-based food. At weddings, guests either eat it or go hungry all day 😂, and once they take a bite, the magic happens.
Another big step: two people approached us about working with us. We did a couple of trial shifts, and at least one of them will be joining Gemma in the kitchen. Which means… less carrot chopping for me 😅
I won’t lie, growing the team feels scary. People always say that hiring is when the problems begin. But I choose trust. We’ve learned that we’re not a “normal” company, and most of the rules people warned us about? When we actually experienced them, they didn’t really apply to us.
So here we are. Tired (not Gemma,she is in Mexico now haha). Grateful. Growing.
Monthly balance ⚖️
✅ Sold Out Supper Club
✅ We got our food truck back for good with all the branding
✅ Gemma appeared on MasterChef and did well.
✅Leith Market was our best market until now
✅We are growing the team
✅We are booking some weddings already for 2027
Gossip ish 💬
Sometimes people still surprise me, this time in a good way.
Two markets ago, a man approached our stall, asking questions and having a look at the food. He didn’t look like one of our regular customers, so I expected him to walk away the moment he heard we were plant-based.
But he surprised me and decided to give it a try.
A few minutes later, he came back and said, “I’ve never eaten vegan food, but this is delicious.”
I’m sure he has eaten plant-based food before, but I understood what he meant.
He came back again in December and then again in January. When I thanked him for coming back, he said, “Always. I always look for you at the market.”
So once again, I learned not to judge a book by its cover.
Future plans 🚀
We are trying to organise a very interesting collaboration, something we’ve never done before.
More images of the month
Marta | Project Manager | Planet G.
Sustainable Kitchen by Gemma Costa (Masterchef the Professionals)
Scottish Street Food Award Champions 2024.
Catering, weddings, events
@planetgfood