Our story

Mr. Johnston Galloway started selling dried fruits and nuts out of a small food cart in 1936 when Gastown was powered by steam and the city of Vancouver was barely fifty years old. As the city changed, so did Galloway’s, stocking everything from European specialty foods to herbs and spices imported from around the world. 

When the Muljiani family arrived in the 1970s as refugees from Uganda, they decided to buy the store from Mr. Galloway, hoping to make Canada their new home. Back in Uganda, the family had run a similar market, importing spices and delicacies from around the Indian Ocean. They brought with them a knowledge of quality ingredients and a wholesome approach to food that would eventually make Galloway’s into a local institution. 

Over the years, the small shop on Vancouver’s Robson Street, known around the city for its variety and attention to detail, became part of the fabric of Vancouver: a true picture of the globe. 

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Meet Annie Muljiani ( Annie M. )

Though my grandparents are originally from Gujarat in India, I was born and grew up in Uganda, East Africa, and moved to Canada as a refugee at the age of 9 which means the food that I love to cook and eat draws from a variety of regional cuisines. Much of it is naturally vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free and which is why I now follow mostly a plant-based diet.

I have spent most of my life surrounded by food! When my family arrived in Canada in the 1970s as refugees, we brought with our knowledge of quality ingredients and a wholesome approach to food that would eventually make Galloway's Specialty Foods, our family business, into a local institution.

After running Galloway’s Specialty Foods for many years, I started to see something change. Society’s relationship to food was becoming very different; fad diets and quick fixes became more common, people were becoming more and more alienated from the food they were eating, and some had no time to cook. There were more allergies to food more than ever.The ways in which our ingredients were grown and sourced made it harder and harder to connect with our food. I decided to take matters into my own hands and help people reconnect with food by sharing with them my love for cooking. I enjoy teaching hands-on cooking classes as it gives me the joy to share my love of cooking and make others more confident in the kitchen. Galloway’s Wholesome Foods®  is now an online store. I share my love and passion for cooking through recipes and blogs.

I’m no stranger to a busy life, though. I grew up with a big family who loved to host big dinners and special events, and raised my own family while running a business. All this means is that I appreciate the beauty of simple, healthy, home-cooked meals: they don’t take much time to prepare, but they are so delicious! I also want to inspire others to cook with love, eat together and stay together.