If a friend were to ask you if you wanted to try going raw
vegan, what do you imagine eating? Probably salads and salads and more
salads. To many people, going raw vegan
sounds like committing to only consuming leaves and nuts. Foods such as brownies, lasagna, tacos, and
cheesecake are probably the last items you would assume to be on the menu. However,
blogger and home-chef Laura Miller is changing the raw vegan world and
redefining raw vegan food itself—one vegetable at a time.
Miller got her start in raw food when she was
in college. She found herself in that
burnt-out stage of her life, and instead of succumbing to her depression and
fatigue, Miller decided to change her lifestyle. Miller claims that going raw vegan changed her
life, bringing her “more balance, wholeness, and connection” to both her own
self and to the food she was eating.
Inspired by her own experience, she set out to share this with others. Miller began a small business called
Sidesaddle Kitchen in San Francisco where she made and sold raw vegan
desserts. Determined to challenge the
raw vegan stereotypes, Miller aimed to make her business edgy and fun. One of the most obvious ways she did this was
hanging a banner over her booth that read “RAW. VEGAN. NOT GROSS.”
In terms of
creativity and personal growth, Sidesaddle Kitchen was a milestone for
Miller. However, her intrinsic
motivation to spread the love of raw veganism and to share her creations with
everyone for free proved to be a less-than-effective business model. Miller was so pleased with her own
accomplishments in developing new recipes that she had neglected to think about
how she would pay the bills. Sidesaddle
Kitchen soon closed, and Miller believed she had failed. Still, she loved her raw vegan lifestyle too
much to give up.
A year
later, a food and travel vlog company called Tastemade contacted Miller about
filming recipe videos for their network.
They collaborated with Miller, and her YouTube series “Raw. Vegan. Not
Gross.” was an instant hit. Together,
they were able to release videos for foods such as a raspberry tart, “not
chicken” nuggets, cauliflower pizza, coconut chili slice, and so much
more. Her videos instantly gained
popularity because she used vegan ingredients in unexpected ways, recreating
familiar dishes with a healthier, raw vegan spin. Shortly after filming with Tastemade wrapped
up, Miller published her own cookbook by the same name as her series and her
now-famous slogan.
One of the
most important aspects of Miller’s approach to raw veganism is that it is not a
diet. It is a lifestyle that focuses on
anti-cruelty and the power of plant-based food.
Raw veganism is more than the meals consumed; it is a way to connect
with oneself and with the environment.
Furthermore, Miller emphasizes that you can still enjoy exciting and
indulgent food while living raw vegan.
In her videos, Miller often repeats how her recipes are both easy and
practical to make. She also says that,
even if you find yourself unable to commit to the raw vegan lifestyle, you can
still celebrate a raw vegan meal every now and then. So, the next time your vegan best friend asks
if you want to try a bite of her chai, coconut milk, nice cream sandwich, go
ahead and try it. You will probably be pleasantly surprised!
Sources:
Really interesting post! As someone who watches a lot of recipe videos it is really cool to get a peek behind the scenes at the process of creating them. I thought it was very unique how Miller's business goes beyond just cooking as she is trying to reshape how we conceive of food. She is also an excellent example of the importance of persistence in creativity, which is, in my opinion, a vital characteristic for the creative individual.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mention her failures as well! So often we forget the path these creatives have to take in order to get to the successful place they are at. It was interesting to hear how she failed at first, but that didn't stop her intrinsic motivation. I also enjoy watching food videos so it was cool to learn that Tastemade reached out to her about producing videos! Her domain is unique, and it is nice to see that her persistence paid off.
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