When I am in the kitchen today creating new recipes, my mother and my grandchildren are a big inspiration. Greatist: Who inspires you to cook and create? I made my oatmeal the way she liked it because most likely she was going to eat for me so I could get up so we could go play. I was called Nae Nae, and she was called KK. As a little girl, she would eat my food for me because you had to clean your plate before getting up from the table. I loved tasting the food right out of the pot that she was cooking. I loved seeing her in her garden, or her bringing fruit off of her trees and having us smell the fruit right off the tree. One of my most favorite memories in my early, early childhood memories is with my grandmother, I did not like food that much when I was little, but I loved the experiences that it brought me with my grandmother. My favorite part would be seeing my Dad, sister, and brother enjoying what I made. I started asking my mom to bring things home for me to make for dinner. I would go in the kitchen and try to fix up what he made. My mother worked 2 to 11, which meant my Dad was responsible for dinner, and he would do the best he could. I learned about my food power when I was about 14 years old. Greatist: What was an early experience where you learned that food has power? I don’t allow anyone to judge me for being vegan, and I do not judge anyone who is not. I had a really bad sweet tooth before going vegan, and for me, it has helped with my sugar craving. I love taking traditional recipes and transforming them into vegan dishes. Not to mention the health benefits, and how good it is for the environment.īeing vegan has been a wonderful journey for me. When I realized that I could make my grandmother’s Red Beans and Rice vegan and keep the “soul,” that was a game-changer for me. People are taking responsibility for their health, which meant I needed to be able to assist with that, since I am in the food business. The other most important thing that made me change to eating vegan is, I am a caterer, and I needed to find a way to be inclusive to all of my clients. What usually happens is they will say to mom, “we want to try this recipe or way of eating,” and they will ask me to make it first or put my spin on it. They are always looking out for meat, and I appreciate that from them. They are very aware of the food trends and very conscious of what my grandchildren eat. I got introduced to veganism because of my children. Her motto was, “the fresher, the better.” No, vegan food has not always been a part of my life, I grew up with a grandmother who farmed almost all the food we ate, and raised all the meat as well. Has vegan food always been a part of your life? If not, what has your journey with vegan food been like? P.S. Greatist: Vegan and soul food might seem like an unlikely pairing to some. Soul food is what brings Black families to the kitchen table. It’s memories of the smells that would wake us up in the morning when my grandmother Veltrue Johnson would be making greens early Sunday mornings before church, so that when we came home that afternoon, Sunday dinner would be almost done. Soul food means wonderful childhood memories for me and from when my children were growing up. Greatist: What does soul food mean to you?
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