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Biography – Nicola Cunha and “The Great Escape”

Nicola Cunha’s early experiments in the kitchen took her from Saudi Arabia to India, to England, the States and finally to Canada. Her training involved mastering classic Indian food techniques, studying with innovative chefs in Toronto and Vancouver, apprenticing under the eye of Chef Olivier Andreini, and testing out her own style of eclectic urban-Indian cuisine on Hollywood casts and crews in Vancouver.

In the spring of 2005, Nicola and her husband Jean-Francois launched “The Great Escape.” This name—taken from the classic 1960s film—articulates their vision of providing a unique culinary escape, a departure from traditional food pairings, and an experience of exotic dining without having to leave the Comox Valley. The Great Escape started as a series of three-course Indian Food nights at the Abbey in Cumberland BC, and progressed—due to overwhelming response and word-of-mouth—to become twice weekly a la carte Indian dinners at Tarbell's Cafe, on Cumberland’s historic main street. Dishes (all hand prepared by Nicola), ranged from Organic Chicken on Potato Latkes with Yoghurt Sauce, Sweet and Sour Lentils, and Mango Salad over Organic Greens to her Mom's Organic Meatball Curry and Mango Cheesecake . Nicola recognized clients' desires to try new ideas yet sample some typical Indian fare.

The fifteen seats were regularly filled by Cumberland locals, but word of Nicola’s famous Mango cheesecake and innovative dishes brought diners in from Victoria and Vancouver, while also attracting visiting tourists from the States and Europe.

Her expertise at melding classic Indian cuisine with her own fresh ideas has also resulted in requests to share her techniques. She has been invited to teach cooking classes (especially her unique flatbread recipes) at “Beyond the Kitchen Door”, a Courtenay store that holds regular culinary classes for local foodies.

For Nicola, her passion for creating amazing food goes beyond the act of cooking: “I love bringing people together over basic ingredients. It goes beyond the food for me. The eating experience I love to create are those where my guests learn something new about food and about themselves.”

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Professional photography provided by Sharon MacDonnell