Why Vegan?

If I can nourish myself without harming others, why wouldn’t I?

I wasn’t always vegan, but going vegan helped me in so many ways. I want to share delicious, familiar, fun foods to show that it’s possible to enjoy food and eat healthfully while being kind to others and the world around you. 

My mom used to tell me that she fed me fast food all the time so that I could, “Have food like Mom used to make” any time I wanted it. My mom was an amazing cook, but she was also busy going to dental school and building her practice when I was a kid so I grew up on fast food and convenience foods. 

When I was 20, I spent six months in a tiny village in England. It had a small market and two pubs  — no supermarket, no McDonalds, no instant cake mixes. The family I stayed with actually cooked vegetables that didn’t even come in cans - Mind Blown! They got their veggies from an organic farmer whose land had never seen fertilizer or insecticides ever. Most of what I ate growing up came from cans or boxes… I had never even heard of organic.  

Mom sent me Sno-Balls and Milk Duds from time to time so I didn’t die, but I had to survive for weeks, sometimes months, between care packages. Out of desperation, I taught myself to cook.  One of the first things I learned to make was chocolate pudding. I had no idea it was possible to make chocolate pudding without a box. Guess what? It is!  

That small village in England is where I started my culinary journey. It was more a means for dealing with my sugar cravings than as a way to nourish myself, but it was a start!  

A few years later, I had Ethiopian food in Washington DC  for the first time. I was blown away by the flavors and textures. I was so in love with that amazing food! At that time there was not an Ethiopian restaurant in Missouri. I knew that if I ever wanted that amazing food again, I’d have to learn to make it myself. I found an African cookbook and started teaching myself how to cook Ethiopian dishes but many of the spices were not available in Columbia. I became obsessed with spices and finding the ones I needed. When I traveled, I’d seek out spice shops and ethnic grocery stores in search of new and unusual spices. 

As I got older and started a family, I started more about how food affects our health. I know this might sound dumb, but I grew up thinking that the only thing that mattered was that you got enough food and not too much. I’d been taught that being active was more important than what I ate. I started experimenting with eating more plants and fewer animals.  At that time, I thought I’d die of a protein deficiency if I didn’t eat meat and my bones would crumble if I didn’t drink milk. I’ve always been skeptical, so I started my own ‘experiment of one.’  Miraculously, I didn’t develop any diseases and my bones didn’t crumble! I actually felt a lot better, dropped a little weight, and improved my cholesterol. This encouraged me to keep investigating plant-based eating and to learn more about our food system. It took about two years, tons of reading and a lot of trial and error. Then, one day in October 2016, everything kind of clicked on day while I was at work. I called Tim and said, “You can do what you want, but I will no longer spend any of my money contributing to animal agriculture and suffering. I’m done eating animal products.” Tim said, “Cool. I’ll do that with you.”  

I went on to get my Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator certification from Main Street Vegan Academy and my certification in Whole Food Plant Based SOS Free cooking from Rouxbe Online Culinary School.

Years later, I’m here with my little vegan food truck. I’m on a mission to show folks that you can tread lightly on the earth, be kind to all creatures and nourish your body without harming others all while enjoying yummy, comforting foods.