The Vegan Goddess creates divine cuisine.
C
amri McNary originally noticed a huge change in my energy, my wanted to make a living body, my skin.” concentrating on people’s McNary began creating vegan dishes, faces, not their stomachs. which she posted on Facebook. “I would “I wanted to be a makeup artist growing make enchiladas, tacos, burritos, everyup,” McNary says. “That was my passion.” thing vegan,” she says. She had second thoughts after she gradPeople began sharing her posts, and uated from beauty school. “I said, ‘I can’t she built on that momentum. “It was like a imagine doing this my entire life. Touching chain effect. It happened so quickly.” people’s faces and doing their hair. Maybe McNary, who was selling health insurthis isn’t what I want to do.’ It just didn’t feel ance from home, officially began her vegan like fun. It felt more like work. And I don’t food business in June 2021. like the feeling of work.” She started out simple, with a few But now, McNary, owner of The Vegan items, including a Cheesy Gordita Crunch, Goddess, probably works harder than she patterned after the Taco Bell item. “Comwould have as a beautician. “I cook huge pletely vegan. I put beans, rice, chipotle portions of things. It’s definitely work, but sauce, mushrooms and walnuts, and vegan it’s still fun,” she says. flatbread, and I covered it in cheese and In addition to holding Sunday pop-ups wrapped it in a crunchy taco shell.” of her vegan creations, McNary teaches McNary made vegan versions of familiar cooking classes and makes and sells her fast food items. In addition to “veganizing packaged dishes at Memphis Kitchen Cothe entire Taco Bell menu,” McNary made Op & Marketplace. a vegan version of McDonald’s McRib and She began “experimentchicken sandwiches. ing” in the kitchen when People can be skeptical she was 8 years old. “I about vegan food. “They made a Mexican pizza,” she think it’s rabbit or bird food.” remembers. “Back in the McNary quit her health day I ate meat. I didn’t grow insurance job after The up vegan.” Vegan Goddess “blew up.” McNary helped her On March 6th, McNary grandmother, veteran proand her business partner fessional cook Donna Carr, Rebecca Devlin will feature in the kitchen. McNary a “vegan Taco Bell menu” marveled at Carr’s expertise. from noon to 4 p.m. at her PHOTO: PHOTOS AND PHASES “She flowed so naturally. pop-up at Memphis Kitchen Camri McNary of Like it was instinctual.” Co-Op. Previous pop-ups The Vegan Goddess Two years later, Mcinclude one that featured Nary began cooking family her “barbecue tacos” made breakfasts. “I was a chunky kid growing up. of jackfruit, which has the texture of pulled That’s why I transitioned to vegan. I loved pork, with black beans and pico de gallo. cooking, loved eating,” she says. In addition to her ever-increasing menu, After beauty school, McNary worked in McNary makes her own sauces. “I use a Kroger organic foods section, where she chickpeas and northern beans — white learned about holistic and natural herbs beans — to make the base of the sauce, and and gluten-free products. “My grandmothI infuse it with chili peppers and wine, lime, er used to cook nothing healthy. I wasn’t and cilantro. All the good flavors.” familiar with any of those things.” McNary eventually wants to open a food McNary became a pescatarian after she truck and, perhaps, a brick-and-mortar resgot a job at the old Stash Home Furniture taurant. “I want to go nationwide,” she says. store. She met a lot of customers from India McNary wants people to experience who had relocated to Memphis to work vegan food. “I don’t necessarily want to at FedEx.“[They] were big on vegan. They push people to be vegan. It’s more, ‘Listen to introduced me to things they ate and their your body and how it reacts when you eat lifestyles, and it intrigued me. And I did my certain things.’ That’s what I promote.” Memphis Kitchen Co-Op & Marketplace is own research,” she says. at 7942 Fischer Steel Road in Cordova; When she stopped eating beef and (901) 674-2541. dairy and ate only seafood, she says, “I
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Not Just Rabbit Food
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
FOOD By Michael Donahue
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