‘I’ve always looked for places where I feel welcome’: Ravinder Bhogal

When my husband and I opened Jikoni, our restaurant in London’s Marylebone, a lovely man called Father Stephen Evans became a regular. He told us he was the rector of this church and invited me to visit. Although I’m a spiritual rather than a religious person, I found immediate sanctuary here, nipping in whenever I felt fraught, or in need of a few moments of solitude. I sit down, close my eyes and give thanks. I’m not sure I’d describe it as prayer, but it’s a sort of meditation. 

Soon after, my partner and I decided to get married. My family, who have orthodox and patriarchal beliefs, chose not to support or attend the wedding. Father Evans was so sweet during that devastating time. He told us we were part of the community and offered to host a blessing. It meant more to me than he could have imagined. On the day, he told me that the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning had eloped without family in this church, too, which made me feel less alone.

As an immigrant who arrived in Britain as a child, I’ve always looked for places where I feel welcome. For me, churches, gurdwaras, mandirs, temples and mosques are almost like civic buildings, and should be open to everyone. We try to echo the same sentiment in our restaurants, breaking bread with the same members of the neighbourhood over and over again. You learn so much about people by attending their places of worship. It’s where conversations begin, and where peace is found.