From prison to vegan restaurateur

WATCH – Jane Velez-Mitchell is happy –

August 8, 2020 – August 9 marks six years since he attempted to take his own life at the downtown bus loop with a loaded handgun. After an unknown teen talked him down, Malone saw it as a new lease on life and turned his life around for the better.

“My time, I’d felt, had come for no return and that was why I had felt that this would be the easiest way to put myself out of the picture without thinking of the repercussions that followed,” Malone said, talking about that day at the bus loop.”

Malone was sentenced to two years, less a day for possession of a weapon and for possession of a weapon with dangerous intent.

“I only served five-months out of the two-years due to good behaviour, trying to motivate, trying to inspire, obviously doing all my due diligence as a criminal to really do whatever I can to get my life on track.”

Malone started his sobriety journey the day he was sentenced and has made it almost five-years — as he showcased, proudly, five keychains on his keyring.

He’s now chef trained by the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. Last March he started his own catering company, which he says was successful until COVID hit.

That’s when his fiancée and he fell into the vegan lifestyle.

“We decided, hey, let’s actually take this and start it into a business where we can produce an organic, farm to table ambience but for a reasonable price to the community of the Okanagan.”

True Flavours will be an organic vegan cafe and catering company where he says they won’t be sourcing any of their food from outside of the Okanagan Valley.

“We have the farmers here … sustainability is here and more importantly the times and the community are moving towards that direction.”

He attributes his drive to two ladies in his life.