The Vegan Local

Doris Lin, Director of Legal Affairs for the Animal Protection League of New Jersey, returns to the Vegan Booster Club for another informative episode! Listen as we get our minds blown with real info from Doris on wildlife here in New Jersey. What should you do if there is a bear in your yard? What if you leave food in your car? What's the deal with the bear hunt?

This episode was recorded in Spring 2018.

Chef Liron Meller joins us for an episode of Vegan Booster Club and shares the story of how a serious health issue led him on the path to founding Nature has Flavor, as well as his other vegan brands: Hanna's Meatballs, Sloppiest Joe's and Hummus is Life.

Liron was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2014 and this set him on the path to exploring plant-based lifestyle towards becoming the vegan chef he is now, who is changing the food culture here in the Garden State.

This is a do-not-miss episode.

James Lucas, the founder of Grape Cat Vegan Clothing & Accessories, sat down with us in Shared Universe Podcast Studio earlier this summer and talked about how he launched Grape Cat. James talks about business basics like storefront vs pop up markets, retail, product design, branding and where the name Grape Cat came from.

James also talks about how he has worked to build a community around vegan dinner parties with the Bucks County Vegan Supper Club and it grew from 2 people at the first dinner to an active group of over 500.

We sit down with Grace Dadoyan, founder of Chocolate Calling, and learn about how she turned her hobby into a business. She talks about how her 2012 breast cancer diagnosis led her to consider the food supply and why it is important to have her line of chocolate be fair trade and organic.

Grace talks about her dedication to the details of her chocolate, down to making the packaging environmentally friendly and talks about connecting with the vegan community she has seen growing in New Jersey over the last two years.

Grace shares her thoughts about striving for perfection and her brand and how the sense of playfulness it conveys is an extension of herself and then we wrap up with talking about our favorite chocolates growing up and how Chocolate Calling is recreating old favorites in healthier and even more delicious versions.

"No matter what event I do, there's something to learn and there's something that comes out of it. It may not be sales, it may be a contact with another person or an idea for another product. There's always something that comes out of it; you don't want to go into it just looking at how much money did I make today because there's a lot of other things that go into it. What might come out of it is, "I know I never want to do this again," but that's still useful information."

We talk to Christine Allen, founder and owner of Mo'Pweeze Bakery about their delicious cupcakes and how she got started specializing in allergen free baked goods and making them so delicious. Mo'Pweeze has a storefront at 32 Broadway in Denville, New Jersey.

"Mo'Pweeze Bakery is an Allergen Free & Vegan Bakery that produces products that are free of the TOP 8 main allergens and animal product. As a small batch bakery, Mo'Pweeze Bakery specializes in creating special moments for each of their customers. 100% vegan, and also free of the top 9 allergies, the bakery is also adept at creating special treats and custom cakes for other dietary needs. We bake tasty and delectable treats like cupcakes, cakes, breads, cookies and pies that are just as indulgent as regular bakery items. We never use any other products in our equipment to control cross contamination. We are ALWAYS dairy, eggs, peanuts, gluten, soy, tree-nut, fish, shellfish plus sesame free. We will never substitute an ingredient that contains any of these allergens. At request, we will also endeavor to find a substitute to accommodate other allergens by creating special blends. We routinely test our products to ensure that our products are allergen free and always Vegan!"

Marisa Sweeney and Kendra Arnold, hosts of the Vegan Booster Club, take this hour to talk about the New Jersey VegFest, supporting small businesses, growing these vegan events around New Jersey and beyond. the Atlantic City Vegan Food Festival and the boardwalk 10K.

We also talk about who people like more and mention for the first time, our new umbrella brand: Sprout Everywhere Events. We also quiz Ming Chen a little bit about his celebrity status and what he thought about the vegan pop up shop in Asbury Park.

In this episode of the Vegan Booster Club, we talk to Screamer's Pizzeria about how they got started, why their lines are so long, why their pizza is so good and then they GIVE A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT SPOILER AHEAD

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which might involve a brand new location!

We also talk about New Jersey's desperation for vegan pizza and building community. You should just listen to this, Adri and Aimee are the best, just like their pizza.

In our big episode #10, we sit talk with one of our favorite people, Kurt Biroc from Freakin Vegan.

We talk about how Freakin Vegan got started and what it's like for Kurt to be seen as a mentor to so many new businesses and why he thinks it's important to help people get started in the vegan food business.

We also get his thoughts on whether vegans should eat at restaurants that aren't vegan and lots more.

Tere Fox of Rockin Raw talks with us about how she got started and what her plans are now for Rockin Raw and Jersey City.

In this episode, we talk with Rebecca Delanoy Winnicki, founder of the organic, vegan and fair trade skincare line, Homemade Betty. We learn about how she got started and about how she is committed to zero waste and how she encourages Homemade Betty's customers to join her with their zero waste forever jar.