Browse Tag

vegan

9 mins read

OKO River: Celebrating Caribbean Flavors and Empowering Food Entrepreneurs

To commemorate Caribbean American Heritage Month, we want to shine a spotlight on OKO River, a brand that wholeheartedly embraces the authentic spices of the Caribbean while providing a platform for diverse voices within the food industry.

In our interview, we had the opportunity to speak with Oslene Carrington, the co-founder of OKO River Sweet Potato Flour Cake Mix.

This unique brand, deeply rooted in Guyana and produced in New York State, seamlessly combines the vibrant flavors of the Caribbean with the entrepreneurial spirit of young, passionate food enthusiasts.

What inspired you to start OKO River Sweet Potato Flour Cake Mix? 

OKO River Sweet Potato Flour Cake Mix is a unique, Caribbean-inspired brand that has its roots in Guyana, but is manufactured in the Big Apple–New York State–where the majority of Caribbean-Americans live. More specifically, the product began as a college project from a budding, under-thirty female food entrepreneur in the South American country of Guyana.

The project involved identifying alternative uses for the very versatile and nutrition-packed root vegetable called sweet potato. The Caribbean has a long history of creating naturally gluten-free flours from root vegetables, like cassava, tarot, and, now, sweet potatoes. The difference is, OKO River brand is not just the flour, but a complete cake mix that contains all the natural dry ingredients to make a delicious, gluten-free sponge cake.

How does the Caribbean influence the flavor profile of your product, and what unique ingredients or spices are used in the recipe? 

The Caribbean, and Guyana specifically, is very lush, with lots of fertile land used for farming. Remember, the Caribbean is the land of sugar cane.  So, sweet treats are endemic to the region. Additionally, because of the fertile ground, many lovely spices are grown in the region.

Most Caribbean-Americans know about and enjoy the various sweet delicacies from their home countries.  So, all we’ve done is bring the natural sweetness of sweet potato (without the sweet potato taste), plus some traditional Caribbean spices to a bold new product that is, in fact, healthier than many “instant” bake mixes. 

There is no gluten, it is all-natural (all of the ingredients could, in concept, be purchased in any local supermarket), and it can be customized with additional ingredients to take on the favorite flavors of the Caribbean. For example, adding pineapple and rum turns this into a perennial favorite in the region, which is the pineapple upside down cake, but without the gluten of wheat flour. I’ve made it, and it’s delicious! 

As a brand that celebrates the agricultural heritage of Guyana and empowers young agricultural entrepreneurs, can you speak to the importance of supporting diverse voices in the food industry?

Absolutely! Launching a food brand is extraordinarily difficult. From sourcing ingredients to manufacturing, then product sales, whether directly to consumers or through retail–the unit economics are tough and the competition is fierce.

There are so many new cottage or artisanal brands vying for attention that it can be overwhelming and expensive to break through. Additionally, there aren’t many food accelerator programs that help ‘hold your hand,’ as it were, to succeed in getting into the packaged goods industry. 

However, we do.  The Economic Development Accelerator, which is supported by the United States Agency for International Development and the Inter-American Bank, plays a vital role in helping us to develop Caribbean food brands, starting with our program in Guyana, and helping the business owners with all the product launch elements I mentioned earlier.

Ultimately, the EDA aims to help bring more variety or diversity to the food industry by helping to make more small-scale Caribbean packaged food brands available widely in the U.S.

oko river

Can you speak to the importance of nontraditional uses of traditional foods, and how your brand represents that philosophy? 

Diet plays an outsized role in overall health; there are lots of studies that point to this.  In fact, many “traditional” foods familiar to immigrants to the U.S. are incredibly good for you in their original form. Sweet potatoes are a great example. They are an exceptional source of beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium, among other important nutrients.

Unfortunately, other than during the holidays, most Americans are not consuming sweet potatoes regularly.  We’re upending that fact by providing all the health benefits of sweet potato, but offering it in flour form–with the same health benefits as the raw vegetable because there are no other flours or flour substitutes in the OKO River Sweet Potato Flour Cake Mix.

This complete baking mix is made with 100% sweet potato flour.  But the twist is that this is more than the flour because it’s a complete cake mix.  Essentially, we support the trend toward more healthful eating that reduces the consumption of foods containing additives and preservatives, unhealthy levels of fat and sugar, etc.  And using traditional foods as the building block for that movement is inspiring to us.

What sets your brand apart from other products on the shelves?

OKO River Sweet Potato Flour Cake Mix contains absolutely no chemicals or preservatives, is low-carb, does not contain gluten, is comparatively low fat, is nutrient dense as a result of the sweet potato, and so on.

Can you tell us more about The Guyana Economic Development Trust and how they have supported the growth and success of food-tech and ag-tech startups in Guyana? 

This initiative was born in 2018, so it is five years old this year. As mentioned, we operate a food industry accelerator program in Guyana now, along with other initiatives to support startups in the country.  The food-industry accelerator’s express purpose is to help small-scale food manufacturers scale the distribution of their products in the country of Guyana, the Caribbean region, and North America.

What are your future plans for the company?

We see OKO River Sweet Potato Flour Cake Mix as an artisanal brand. It’s a premium product because of the premium, all-natural ingredients used in manufacturing.  We manufacture and distribute from New York State. So, we are Caribbean-inspired by way of the Big Apple!

We desire to engage true foodies–lovers of great-tasting, high quality, and healthful foods, to have them choose our brand, and to have them “big us up,” as we say in the Caribbean, everywhere they can to everyone they can.  

by Tony O. Lawson

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2 mins read

Slutty Vegan Raises $25M, Brand Now Valued at $100M

Established in 2018, Slutty Vegan, came out the gate taking the food industry by storm. Reportedly, the Atlanta-based vegan burger chain’s revenue grew to $4 million within the first six months of its grand opening

In a 2019 interview with founder Pinky Cole, we asked where she saw her business in the next 5 years.

Her response was, “I see Slutty Vegan country-wide, providing vegan experiences in communities where they would have otherwise never had that opportunity.”

slutty vegan
Pinky Cole in front of her Atlanta location | Credit: Raymond McCrea Jones for The New York Times

Since then, Slutty Vegan has grown into a restaurant empire with four brick-and-mortar locations across Atlanta, and openings scheduled for Birmingham, Baltimore, and New York.

According to a “CNBC Make It” estimate, Slutty Vegan made between $10 million and $14 million in 2021 revenue.

Now, with help from a $25 million series A investment round, led by entrepreneur Richelieu Dennis’ New Voices Fund and restaurateur Danny Meyer’s Enlightened Hospitality Investments,  Cole plans to open 10 additional locations by the end of this year and 10 more locations in 2023.

This recent funding round values Slutty Vegan at $100 million, For(bes) The Culture reported.

In December of last year, Slutty Vegan announced the hiring of some key players to assist with its expansion plans. They brought on professional chef, Muhammad Yasin as district manager, and a former CAVA executive, Joi Alexander as national director of sales & catering.

The company also plans to hire a chief operating officer and chief marketing officer to help manage its exponential growth.

Not bad for a 4-year-old business that started out taking orders over Instagram.

 

Tony O. Lawson


Related: Black-owned Vegan Restaurants You Should Know


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2 mins read

Black Owned Vegan Dessert Brand Invests $1.3 Million to Keep Up With Demand

Freaks of Nature is a Black owned Vegan dessert brand based in the UK. Peter Ahye launched Freaks of Nature in 2016 after identifying a gap in the market for inclusive, delicious tasting vegan and vegetarian snacks.

In January of 2020, the company launched a new chocolate mousse product and the demand far exceeded their expectations. Sales soared by 200% in three weeks and have been strong since then.

black owned vegan dessert
Peter Ahye

The company is now investing £1 million ($1.3 million) to expand its manufacturing capacity due to the growing demand for its vegan desserts. They also have plans to build a second production line and invest in larger, more eco-friendly equipment with the goal of increasing production capacity by 400 percent.

black owned vegan dessert

“This investment is very exciting and marks a significant turning point in our business,” Freaks of Nature founder Peter Ahye told Foodmanufacture UK. “In the first quarter of this year our production volumes were up by 100 percent, despite being held back by COVID-19, and strong indications show they are set to continue.”

black owned vegan dessert

“We had a fantastic year last year developing a number of great new puds, growing our production capacity and attracting some significant new retailers. We also won a number of leading industry accolades including The Grocers Best Start Up award. Following the really positive interest we have already received for our new mousse and the unstoppable rise in veganism we’re seeing here in the UK, I think this next year is going to be an even more exciting one for us!”

black owned vegan dessert

All of Freaks of Nature’s desserts are produced in its purpose-built facility which is British Retail Consortium (BRC) grade A accredited and is the largest factory of its kind in Europe.

 

-Tony O. Lawson

 

Related: Black Owned Snack Brands You Should Know


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3 mins read

Black Owned Snack Brands That Can Replace Junk Food

Black owned snack brands are making a huge impact in the health and wellness industry, offering delicious and nutritious options for snack lovers. We’ve put together a list of some amazing brands that are worth trying.

Black Owned Snack Brands

Major’s Project Pop

Major’s Project Pop offers a fresh take on kettle corn using carefully-selected organic ingredients, including a bold virgin coconut oil that lingers on your palate.

Symphony Chips

Symphony Chips, a harmonious blend of deliciously seasoned chips guaranteed to leave you wanting more. GMO-free | Gluten-free | Guilt-free.

Funky Mello

black owned snack brands

Funky Mello marshmallow cremes are amazingly light and satisfyingly sweet. The vanilla, strawberry, and cookie flavors are delicious and rich.

Pipcorn Heirloom Snacks

Pipcorn offers four lines of ancient grain based (heirloomsnacks, Heirloom Popcorn, Heirloom Cheese Balls, Heirloom Corn Dippers, and Heirloom Crunchies that are whole grain, gluten-free and Non-GMO Project Verified.

Chikas Foods 

Black Owned Snack Brands

Chika’s is on a mission to bring natural ingredients and taste sensations from Africa to both food lovers and the health conscious alike.

Oh Mazing Food

Black Owned Snack Brands

Oh-Mazing! crafts gourmet granola with unique flavors that will make your taste buds sing!

Partake Foods

Partake offers offers delicious, allergy-friendly cookies, baking mixes, and pancake & waffle mixes that are certified gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan, and free of the top 9 allergens.

It’s Nola

black owned snack brands

It’s Nola creates chewy granola bites using ordinary ingredients to make an extraordinary snacking experience.

Mawa’s GrainFreeNola

Mawa’s GrainFreeNola offers delicious gluten-free, protein-rich and Vegan GrainFreeNola filled with the highest quality organic nuts and seeds sweetened with Medjool dates.

Cajou Creamery

Cajou Creamery uses a few, responsibly-sourced, nutrient-rich ingredients to churn out flavors into luxurious, creamy, dairy-free ice cream.

Teranga

TERANGA is on a mission to create refreshing and healthy prepared foods, snacks, frozen treats and drinks handcrafted in small batches using baobab and other unique ingredients from around the world.

Azzizah’s Herbal Green Popcorn

Black Owned Snack Brands

Azzizah’s Herbal Green Popcorn is an organic, air-popped snack that is universally tempting, satisfying, nourishing, and of course, tasty and crave-able.

Eat Power Snacks

black owned snack brands

Dad-Made, Kid-Approved. A snack that parents can feel good about their kids eatingEnergy With a Crunch. Packed with the nutrients you need.


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1 min read

Black Owned Packaged Food Brands

Do you need a pantry refresh that nourishes your taste buds and supports Black entrepreneurs? Look no further than these Black owned packaged food brands.

From traditional comfort foods with a twist to globally-inspired delights, these brands offer a delicious adventure for your palate and a conscious choice for your conscience.

So, ditch the ordinary and dive into a world where every meal becomes a celebration of culinary diversity and community.

Black Owned Packaged Food

West Food Brands

Blanket Pancakes & Syrup

Mama Biscuits

Vicky Cakes

Iya Foods 

Black Owned Packaged Food

Michele Foods

Black Owned Packaged Food

A Dozen Cousins

Black Owned Packaged Food

Berhan Grains

Neilly’s Foods 

May be an image of couscous, chow mein, fried rice, biryani and text

Yolélé Foods 

Egunsi Foods

Black Owned Packaged Food

 

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3 mins read

Black Owned Vegan Spot in Atlanta Offering Free Food For a Day

Black-owned vegan fast-food spot, Slutty Vegan, is well-loved by locals and celebrities alike. This week, Lala Anthony, Ludacris, Chris Paul, and Gabrielle Union-Wade have teamed up to buy out the restaurant’s offerings for a day, when “free food will be [given away] in support of Pinky Cole’s business, and her community impact.”

Today, Tuesday, June 30th, the Atlanta location will be free all day thanks to the generosity of these celebs, who rallied around the founder Pinky Cole after her establishment was targeted and false online reviews claiming negative experiences were posted in response to her charitable deed a couple of days ago.

Last week, Cole decided to set up college funds alongside Clark Atlanta University for the children Rayshard Brooks, a Black Atlanta resident who was fatally shot by police at a Wendy’s on June 12th. Brooks is survived by four kids, who range in age from 1-years old to 13-years old. These college funds will cover the full cost of tuition and room and board for each of his children and are valued at $600,000 each.

Cole’s generous deed received praise online, but also quickly became a target of a negative online harassment campaign, as “Slutty Vegan’s Yelp and Google Business pages became inundated with false and negative reviews along with one-star ratings, claiming they had poor experiences at the establishment.”

black owned vegan

In response to this, loyal customers quickly came to Cole’s rescue, flooding the Yelp and Google Business pages with accurate, positive reviews, receiving over 18,000 positive Google reviews within a 72-hour time span.

To add to this push for positivity, a press release announced celebrities were also rallying around Cole: “This free food giveaway is LaLa Anthony, Ludacris, Gabrielle Union-Wade, and Chris Paul’s way of standing behind the popular brand that has done so much for the community since it’s inception in 2018.

“Slutty Vegan is located at 1542 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd SW. Free food items will be provided on Tuesday from 12noon – 7:30 pm. Social distancing will be encouraged and enforced.”

Source: The Beet


Related: Meet the Owner of Slutty Vegan, Atlanta’s Hottest Vegan Spot


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2 mins read

12 Year-Old Vegan Chef Omari McQueen to Release First Cookbook

Vegan chef Omari McQueen—who is only 12 years old—will publish his first cookbook in January 2021. Omari McQueen’s Best Bites Cookbook will feature 30 easy-to-make plant-based recipes crafted by the young chef. “I don’t want animals to die or be eaten so I teach people my age to be vegan,”

McQueen, who went vegan at the age of 7, said in a recent mini-documentary. McQueen created his own vegan brand Dipalicious at eight years old after starting a YouTube channel where he filmed himself making a vegan pizza served with his own Caribbean Kick dip. Last year, McQueen hosted a Dipalcious pop-up restaurant in Croydon, United Kingdom, where he served a variety of vegan Caribbean-inspired fare.

The book will be published by media brand Scholastic UK, which acquired world publishing rights from literary agent Oscar Janson-Smith at Kruger Crowne. “Omari McQueen is inspirational. At just 12 years old, he has achieved so much.

His passion for food and cooking is irresistible,” Scholastic UK Publishing Manager Leah James said. “Children everywhere have been busy learning to cook during lockdown; we can’t wait for Omari to share his recipes, tips, and enthusiasm with a generation of children and their families. Omari is leading a new generation of ethical minded foodies into a more sustainable future.”

McQueen took to Instagram to thank all of his supporters for making his new cookbook possible. “I would like to thank everyone for all your love, support, and encouragement. I would also like to say thank you to the one and only @oscarjansonsmith you have had my back for years, you believed in me from the beginning and @krugercowne, @scholastic_uk for giving me a chance to share my passion to the world,” McQueen said. “Mummy and daddy, you’re the best a boy like me could have. Thank you to my siblings and family for being you—perfect 100 percent.”

 

Source: VegNews

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1 min read

Jaden Smith Launches a Free Vegan Food Truck To Feed LA’s Homeless

Jaden Smith has launched a vegan food truck that serves free food to people on Skid Row, an area of LA that contains one of the United States’ largest homeless populations.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzopIZ4AcML/

He made the announcement yesterday via Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzopDsuAFS4/

The rapper and actor is also co-founder of the eco-friendly company JUST Water.

vegan food truck

The company has also recently partnered with a local Flint, Michigan church to deploy a mobile water treatment system that filters out lead and additional contaminants in water.

10 mins read

The Ultimate List of Black Owned Farms & Food Gardens

Black owned farms make up less than 2 percent of all farms in the United States.

According to a recent report, Black farmers lost 80 percent of their farmland from 1910 to 2007, often because they lacked access to loans or insurance needed to sustain their businesses.

The report mentions the “long and well-documented history of discrimination against Black farmers by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture).”

It goes on to state that “The unequal administration of government farm support programs, crucial to protecting farmers from an inherently risky enterprise, has had a profound impact on rural communities of color.”

It is clear that that Black farmers need help now more than ever. We also need fresh produce they provide. Here is a list of Black owned farms and food gardens that you can support.

Black Owned Farms

Alabama

black owned farms
Darden Bridgeforth & Sons Farms/ Credit: News Courier

Darden Bridgeforth & Sons (Tanner, AL)

Bain Home Garden (Rehoboth, AL)

Binford Farms (Athens, AL)

Datus Henry Industries (Birmingham, AL )

Fountain Heights Farms (Birmingham, AL)

Hawkins Homestead Farm (Kinsey, AL)

Arizona

MillBrook Urban Farms

Millbrook Urban Farms (Phoenix, AZ )

Patagonia Flower Farms (Patagonia, AZ)

Project Rootz Farm (Phoenix, AZ)

California

black owned farms
Will Scott of Scott Family Farms/ Credit: AP Photo/Gosia Wozniacka

African American Farmers of California demo farm (Fresno, CA)

Farms to Grow, Inc. (Oakland, CA)

Corky’s Nuts (Northern CA)

Scott Family Farms (Fresno, CA)

Rancho de Rodney (Fresno, CA)

Connecticut

Root Life (New Haven, CT)

The DMV Area (DC, MD, VA)

black owned farms
Soilful City/Facebook

DC

Good Sense Farm

Good Sense Farm (Washington, DC)

Three Part Harmony (Washington, DC)

Soilful City (Washington, DC)

Sylvanaqua Farms (Washington, DC/Norfolk, VA)

MD

Cherry Hill Urban Garden

Cherry Hill Urban Garden (Cherry Hill, MD)

Deep Roots Farm (Brandywine, MD)

Dodo Farms (Brookeville, MD) 

Four Mother’s Farm (Princess Anne, MD)

Jenny’s Market (Friendship, MD)

The Bladensburg Farm (Riverdale, MD)

Tha Flower Factory  (Baltimore, MD)

VA

 

Haynie Farms (Reedville, VA)

Berrily Urban (Northern VA)

Botanical Bites Provisions (Fredericksburg, VA)

Boyd Farms (Nathalie VA)

Broadrock Community Garden (Richmond, VA)

Browntown Farms (Warfield, VA)

Brunswick Agriculture and Cultural Model Homesteading & Equestrian Center (Warfield , VA)

Carter Family Farm (Unionville, VA)

Cusheeba Earth: A Soil Culture Farm (Onley, VA)

Fitrah Farms (Central VA)

Go Greens Farms (Suffolk, VA)

Haynie Farm (Reedville, VA)

Mighty Thundercloud Edible Forest (Birdsnest, VA)

Mor-Cannabis (Scottsburg, VA)

Vanguard Ranch (Gordonsville, VA)

Verde Hemp Farms (Surry County, VA)

Florida

Griffin Organic Poultry

Harvest Blessing Garden (Jacksonville, FL)

Fisher Farms (Jonesville, FL)

Griffin Organic Poultry (Harthorne, FL)

Infinite Zion Roots Farms (Apopka, FL)

Ital Life Farm (Tampa, FL)

Marlow Farms (Kissimmee, FL)

Seed Mail Seed (West Palm Beach, FL)

Smarter By Nature LLC  (Tallahassee, FL)

Georgia

black owned farms
The Metro Atlanta Urban Farm /Facebook

Swanson Family Farm (Hampton, GA)

Southeastern African-American Farmers Organic Network (Atlanta, GA)

The Metro Atlanta Urban Farm (Royston, GA)

Semente Farm (Lithonia, GA)

Patchwork City Farms (Atlanta, GA)

Local Lands (Dublin, GA)

Miller City Farm (Fairburn, GA)

Nature’s Candy Farm (Atlanta, GA)

Noble Honey Company (Atlanta, GA)

Restoration Estates Farms (Haddock, GA)

Semente Farm (Lithonia, GA)

Tea Brew Farm (Central Georgia)

The Green Toad Hemp Farm (Metter, GA)

Truly Living Well (Atlanta, GA)

Illinois

AM Lewis Farms (Matteson, IL )

Black Oaks Center for Sustainable Living (Pembroke Township, IL)

Chi City Foods ( Chicago, IL)

Dusable City Ancestral Winery & Vineyards and Dusable City Botanical Farms

Roots & Vine Produce and Cafe (Chicago, IL)

Salem Hemp Kings (Salem, IL)

Urban Growers Collective (Chicago, IL)

Your Bountiful Harvest (Chicago, IL)

Kentucky

The Russellville Urban Gardening Project (Russellville KY)

Barbour Farm (Canmer, KY)

Ballew Estates (Madison Co, Kentucky)

Cleav’s Family Market Farm (Bonnieville, KY)

Slak Market Farm (Lexington, KY)

Louisiana

black owned farms
Harper Armstrong, owner of Armstrong Farms/ Facebook

Armstrong Farms (Bastrop, LA)

Cryer’s Family Produce (Mount Hermon, LA)

Grow Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge, LA)

Laketilly Acres (New Orleans, LA)

Mama Isis Farm & Market (Baton Rouge, LA)

Oko Vue Produce Co (New Orleans, LA)

Provost Farm (Iberia Parish, LA)

Massachusetts

Agric Organics Urban Farming (Springfield, MA)

Urban Farming Institute of Boston (Mattapan, MA)

Maine

Annabessacook Farm (Winthrop, Maine)

Michigan

D-TownFarm (Detroit, MI)

Mississipi

Earcine (Cine`) Evans, founder of Francis Flowers & Herbs Farm

34th Street Wholistic Gardens & Education Center (Gulfport, MS )

Francis Flowers & Herbs Farm(Pickens, MS)

John H. Moody Farm (Soso, MS)

Morris Farms (Mound Bayou, MS)

RD & S Farm (Brandon, MS)

Field Masters Produce (Tylerton, MS)

Foot Print Farms (Jackson, MS)

Missouri

black owned farm
Will Witherspoon, CEO of Shire Gate Farm

Shire Gate Farm (Owensville, MO)

New Hampshire

New England Sweetwater Farm and Distillery (Winchester, NH)

New Jersey

Free Haven Farms (Lawnside, NJ)

Hawk Mountain Earth Center (Newark, NJ )

Hyah Heights (Newark, NJ )

Jerzey Buzz (Newark, NJ )

Morris Gbolo’s World Crop Farms (Vineland, NJ)

Ward’s Farm (Salem, NJ)

New York

Karen Washington, Co-Owner of Rise & Root Farm./ Twitter

Rise & Root Farm (Chester, NY)

East New York Farms (Brooklyn, NY)

Brooklyn Rescue Mission Urban Harvest (Brooklyn, NY)

Soul Fire Farm (Petersburg, NY)

North Carolina

black owned farms
Mother’s Finest Urban Farms

Mother’s Finest Urban Farms (Winston Salem, NC)

Abanitu Farm (Roxboro, NC)

Fourtee Acres (Enfield, NC)

First Fruits Farm (Louisburg, NC)

Yellow Mountain Garden (Franklin, NC)

Pine Knot Farms (Hillsborough, NC)

Savage Farms (Durham, NC)

Green Heffa Farms (Liberty, NC)

black owned farms
Green Heffa Farms

Ohio

Rid-All Green Partnership (Cleveland, OH)

Oregon

Mudbone Grown (Portland, OR)

Rainshadow Organics (Sisters, OR)

Pennsylvania

The Philadelphia Urban Creators /Facebook

Mill Creek Farm (Philadelphia, PA)

The Philadelphia Urban Creators (Philadelphia, PA)

South Carolina

Fresh Future Farms/ Adam Chandler Photography

Fresh Future Farm (North Charleston, SC)

Gullah Farmers Cooperative (St. Helena Island, SC)

Gullah Farmers

Morning Glory Homestead Farm (St. Helena Island, SC) 

Rare Variety Farms (Columbia, SC)

SCF Organic Farms (Sumter, SC)

Texas

We Over Me Farm (Dallas, TX)

Bonton Farms (Dallas, TX)

Berkshire Farms Winery (Wilmer, TX )

Caney Creek Ranch (Oakwood, TX )

Fresh Life Organics (Houston, TX)

Lee Lover’s Clover Honey (Houston,TX)

Lettuce Live Urban Farm (Missouri City, TX)

Long Walk Spring Farm (New Boston, TX)

Uncommon Bees (Jasper, TX)

Vermont

Clemmons Family Farm

Clemmons Family Farm (Charlotteville, VT)

Strafford Creamery (Strafford, VT)

Washington State

black owned farms
Clean Greens Farms/ Camille Dohrn

Sky Island Farm (Humptulips, WA)

Clean Greens (Seattle, WA)

International

Mwanaka Fresh Farm Foods (London)

 

 

-Tony O. Lawson

Special thanks to Ark Republic, whose Black Farmers Index was used to update portions of this list!


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(Feature Image: Adam Chandler Photography)

10 mins read

Sassy’s Brings Its Vegetarian Soul Food to East Austin

If you take a step into Andrea Dawson’s food truck, Sassy’s Vegetarian Soul Food, it’s like stepping into Grandma’s kitchen while she’s preparing a Sunday feast.

That familiar smell of red pepper and paprika immediately fills your nostrils, and the popping, hot oil signals it’s time to fry the chicken. In a city full of tacos and barbecue joints, the soul food circle is small, but Sassy’s food truck is joining that list with a vegetarian twist.

vegetarian Soul Food
Andrea Dawson with Sassy’s collard greens, black-eyed peas, and sweet potatoes (Photo by John Anderson)

The words “vegetarian” and “soul food” in the same sentence would cause a head scratch from Black elders used to collard greens seasoned with turkey neck or chitterlings doused in hot sauce, but Dawson’s vegetarian soul food has even the biggest skeptics not only coming back for more, but claiming they don’t miss the meat with her cooking. “It’s just down-home cooking, without the meat,” Dawson said. “A lot of people are really amazed that it’s just hearty food.”

Sassy’s menu offers the usual soul food joint staples: fried cabbage, black-eyed peas, hot water cornbread, and a medley of collard, kale, and mustard greens.

But where you’d typically find bacon in fried cabbage, Dawson uses a vegan bacon substitute – which maintains the smoky flavor of regular bacon – and black-eyed peas’ meaty flavoring is substituted with a ginger and green onion mixture that brings out the smoky flavors.

Vegetarian Soul Food
“Chicon N Waffles” at Sassy’s (Photo by John Anderson)

But it’s not a true soul food feast without the well-seasoned, crunchy-skinned goodness of fried chicken, arguably the ultimate staple of good soul food. Dawson has created her own vegan version of fried chicken and waffles called “Chicon N Waffles,” an homage to the street where her food truck has been in operation since November 2018.

Instead of a soy-based meat substitute, Dawson uses wheat gluten – a natural protein found in wheat that creates vegetarian substitutes like seitan – to create the meatlike texture of her “chicon.” She then deep fries the wheat gluten and tosses it in hot lemon pepper, barbecue sauce, Carribean jerk, or Asian orange seasonings, and after one bite, any reservations about eating plant-based meat dishes have flown out the window.

“Sure enough, it looks like fried chicken,” Dawson joked, as pieces of “chicon” float to the top of the hot oil basket.

Before Dawson opened up her bright blue truck in East Austin, she wasn’t working her way up as a server in restaurants or bussing tables or working back of house on the line.

If she was in a restaurant, she was likely its entertainment for the night, serving up her renowned blues vocals. Dawson’s voice took her around the world from Brazil to China, but she ended up settling in Austin to be a singer in a blues band after living in Dallas for 30 years. As if a food truck owner’s origin story wasn’t already unusual, Dawson never really liked to cook.

As the oldest daughter of a large family, she often helped her mother prepare meals, and consequently any affinity she had for the kitchen just fizzled out as she got older. It wasn’t until Dawson developed digestive problems and needed to switch up her go-to recipes to improve her health that she crept back into cooking.

She decided to cut out meat for one week. Then two weeks, then three. After converting to a completely vegetarian diet, Dawson still craved her soul food favorites like fried cabbage, so she turned to YouTube for help, a move she unapologetically admits.

She watched countless how-to videos and learned to re-create the soul food dishes she missed, now with a plant-based focus. Turns out all the time she spent developing new, meat-free dishes sparked an idea: She began recipe testing for the Sassy’s menu as well.

“I started developing some of the [soul food] recipes and nothing was lacking,” Dawson said. “So it just got stuck.”

Her decision to open Sassy’s fell in her lap when along came a truck for sale. Dawson took the leap, purchased the truck – which was in “horrible shape” – and went to work fixing it with her own two hands.

The journey was fueled by a supportive network of friends, family, and even fans from all around the world, who convinced Dawson to buy the truck, helped name it Sassy’s, and invested in the business, including by buying restaurant tools she’d added to an Amazon wish list.

“I knew I was not going to be able to do all those fancy foods that I see vegan chefs do – I’m just going to do the stuff I grew up with, and that’s the best I can do,” Dawson said. “And so far, it’s been pretty good.”

The creation of Sassy’s was a collaborative project, one aimed at building a support system for a Black woman-owned business, a minority in Austin’s bustling entrepreneurial culture. On a small scale, Dawson sees Sassy’s as a form of reparations – with one of Dawson’s biggest investors being a white, female friend who had the financial means to invest in a Black-owned business.

“Because of her, I was able to realize a dream and open a business that could potentially hire more people, and to create jobs, and to create a legacy,” Dawson said. “Before she offered that help, there was no way I could have ever done this on my own.”

Sassy’s now joins a community of Black-owned businesses in East Austin that are up against the rapid effects of gentrification and its threat to displace communities of color and low-income residents.

Last year, the University of Texas at Austin released “Uprooted,” a report focusing on Austin’s most vulnerable residents, who either are at high risk of being displaced or have already been displaced as a result of gentrification.

One of the report’s several conclusions called for the city of Austin to adopt strategies to help slow the displacement of East Austin residents through a policy framework that could address and prioritize “the needs of various groups and neighborhoods.”

Although Dawson is new to Austin’s Black-owned business community, she understands the importance of the city of Austin investing in minority-owned businesses just like hers so they too can have a chance to thrive. “[East Austin] is still a viable community and Black people can get a hold [in] … the community and build,” Dawson said. “Even though things are more expensive and different, there are avenues for us.”

If one bite of Sassy’s takes you back to Grandma’s kitchen, then the love and passion Grandma had when sharing her secret spice mix or how to perfectly season collard greens is emulated through Dawson’s welcoming personality and warm smile. But this little food truck isn’t just about making a perfect piece of hot water cornbread or the best batch of fried cabbage.

Sassy’s is also a space of fellowship and community for Black residents in East Austin, who can connect over the food that has meant so much to our culture through times of grief and times of celebration.

“That makes me feel really good – that they can have a piece of home,” Dawson said.

 

Source: The Austin Chronicle


Sassy’s Vegetarian Soul Food

1819 E. 12th
sassys-vegetarian-soul-food.business.site
214/703-6617
Mon., closed; Tue.-Sun., 2-11pm