Boothby’s Cara Devine chats with Kayla Saeto
Kaylo Saito is fermenting and preserving to create flavour
At Molli, sustainability is about making things taste great.
“For me, sustainability and minimal waste is an everyday practice,” says Kayla Saito, “it's not just paying lip service.” She is one of the most committed and talented bartenders I’ve come across when it comes to proper sustainability in the bar, and so I was happy to pick her brain on a sunny Saturday at Molli in Abbotsford.
Kayla has been working at the Mulberry Group for a year and a half now, and is bar manager at Molli as well as bar operations for Lilac, and generally helps out with the drink programs through the group’s other venues where needed. She was initially drawn to the group because as a company, they align with her values.
“What drew me towards it is our not-for-profit. We have venues, restaurants and cafés, but 10 percent of all revenue from all of the businesses goes towards the Common Ground project, which is our farm. The farm has a not-for-profit called Staying Grounded, and they do everything from job integration, training and placements to community education (like bringing children in and teaching them farming techniques), to regenerative farming.”
