SoFlo Vegans Digest - January 2022

FIRST ISSUE

Digest Jan 2022

South Florida’s Unofficial Vegan Lifestyle Guide

Vegan Directory Restaurants Bakeries Books Documentaries

Interviews Earthling Ed Ingrid Newkirk

Features Chronicles Podcasts Spotlight Timeline

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CONTENTS

FOUNDER & GENERAL MANAGER Sean Russell PHONE (954) 980-8383

EMAIL contact@soflovegans.com

02

Miami-Dade Restaurants

07

Broward Restaurants

13

Palm Beach Restaurants

15

Ingrid Newkirk

17

Featured Bakeries

18

Featured Books

20

Featured Documentaries

21

Earthling Ed

24

SoFlo Vegans Chronicles

25

SoFlo Vegans Spotlight

28

SoFlo Vegans Timeline

30

SoFlo Vegans Podcast

ADDRESS SoFlo Vegans 300 SW 1st Ave, #155 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Welcome to the first issue of the SoFlo Vegans Digest. This is your unofficial guide to being vegan in South Florida.

This digest provides a directory of vegan businesses and resources, links to video content, interviews, and a growing number of resources. If you are a writer, photographer, illustrator, or business wanting to place an ad, feel free to reach out to me directly..

Sean Russell General Manager/Founder

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VEGAN DIRECTORY

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FEATURED RESTAURANTS MIAMI-DADE Restaurants trending in the SoFlo Vegans Community.

Click the thumbnail to watch the video

SOBE VEGAN SoBe Vegan offers a wide selection of salads, sandwiches, burgers, juices, shakes, and more.

They sponsored our first SoFlo Vegans Night that featured the Miami HEAT. They also provided giveaways during our November FTL Artwalk event.

THE CARIBE VEGAN An all-vegan food truck operating in South Florida and owned by Melissa Guzman. They specialize in Caribbean-inspired dishes. The Caribe Vegan partnered with SoFlo Vegans to host two Veg Night Out events in 2021.

AGUACATE SANCTUARY OF LOVE Cruelty-free comfort cuisine, conscientiously crafted by culinary experts using custom curated plant-based proteins sustainably sourced from around the world.

BANGARA VEGAN Bángara Vegan is a family-operated business that prides itself on making delicious Puerto Rican cuisine. We’ve caught up with Bangara on several occasions in 2021 including having them as one of our member promotion partners.

VEGAN DIRECTORY

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RESTAURANT DIRECTORY MIAMI-DADE

Click the thumbnail to watch the video

COCONUT GROVE Planta Queen – (Partner / Vegan) Plant-based Asian fusion cuisine in the heart of Coconut Grove.

CORAL GABLES L’Artisane Creative Bakery – (Vegan) The First Vegan French Bakery in the United States with a wide display of pastries, petit gateaux, viennoiserie, gourmet sandwiches, and salads.

DORAL Bunnie Cakes – (Vegan) We bake ridiculously yummy cupcakes, cakes & sweet treats using only 100% vegan and gluten-free ingredients.

Della Bowls – (Vegan) Healthy, quick meals with passion and love. A vibrant menu is delicious, craveable, and allows for 100% customization.

HIALEAH Happy Vegan Bakers – (Vegan) Vegan versions of all of your favorite Hispanic soul food.

MIAMI Aguacate Juice Bar – (Partner / Vegan) Start living the life you always dreamed of by shining from within learn how to boost your immunity through proper nutrition, conquer fear, breathing techniques, detach from overthinking, grow your own food, shift to a plant-based diet.

Ali’s Sweet Treats – (Vegan) Bakeshop offering hand-decorated cookies, some with photos & logos, plus custom cakes & cupcakes.

Angie’s Epicurean – (Vegan) Angie’s charms the curious and conscious taster with uncommon ice cream and epicurean delights.

Bangara Vegan – (Partner / Vegan) Saturdays @ Coconut Grove Farmers Market. Available for Events, Catering, Festivals, Meal-Prep.

VEGAN DIRECTORY

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RESTAURANT DIRECTORY MIAMI-DADE

Click the thumbnail to watch the video

MIAMI Conscious Kitchen – (Partner / Vegan) Bringing worldwide culture comfort foods, the vegan way.

Holi Vegan Kitchen – (Partner / Vegan) HOLI Vegan Kitchen & Bar brings you good natural, wholesome foods using the best quality ingredients. They currently have locations in North Miami Beach and the MIMO District.

Ittle Litaly – (Vegan) Formerly named Veganaroma. The menu is made daily from scratch and includes chef-inspired Italian dishes such as pasta, pizza, and calzone.

Minty Z – (Vegan) Unique Asian fusion cuisine prepared from scratch, cold drinks, and craft cocktails. Plant-based dim sum, far east baked goods, creative power foods, and seasonal produce highlight our extensive offerings.

Plant Miami – (Vegan) Plant Miami heralds a modern plant-based approach with an emphasis on vibrant organic living foods, with a commitment to the art of conscious cuisine.

The Plantisserie – (Vegan) We prepare our food as nature provides it. Maintaining its natural virtues and nutrients, free of refinements and genetic treatments, respecting in this way the intelligence of Mother Nature.

Vegan and Juice – (Vegan) A vegetarian/vegan restaurant in the heart of Sweetwater in Miami. The veggie food is original and varied, with a Latin twist.

Vegan Cuban Cuisine – (Vegan) Born to bring flavor, enjoyment, and most importantly families together. We only create recipes that are healthy, full of flavor, and vegan.

MIAMI BEACH Full Bloom – (Vegan) A 100% vegan gourmet restaurant.

MIDTOWN Chocolate Chip Bakery – (Vegan) 100% Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Soy Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Organic, and Vegan!

Thatch Miami – (Veg) We are a sustainability-driven market, bar + restaurant located in the heart of Midtown, Miami.

VEGAN DIRECTORY

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RESTAURANT DIRECTORY MIAMI-DADE

Click the thumbnail to watch the video

NORTH MIAMI BEACH Dub N Grub – (Partner / Vegan) An Afro-Floribbean plant-based veganized Street food experience. Home of great food and good Vybz.

Holi Vegan Kitchen – (Partner / Vegan) HOLI Vegan Kitchen & Bar brings you good natural, wholesome foods using the best quality ingredients. They currently have locations in North Miami Beach and the MIMO District.

Veg By Hakin – (Vegan) At Vegetarian Restaurant By Hakin, you’ll find 100% vegan and Caribbean-inspired dishes that will delight your senses.

SOUTH BEACH Planta South Beach – (Partner / Vegan) PLANTA was opened with the purpose of creating delicious food that promotes environmental sustainability.

SoBe Vegan – (Partner / Vegan) SoBe Vegan offers a wide selection of salads, sandwiches, burgers, juices, shakes, and more.

WYNWOOD Love Life Cafe – (Partner / Vegan) Love Life Cafe is a vegan cafe located inside of Love Life Wellness Center in the heart of Wynwood. We love to serve conscious and delicious food.

Mora Pizza – (Vegan / Delivery) Mora Pizza is currently located at 3201 NW 7th Ave Cir, Miami, FL 33127. Order your favorite pizza, pasta, salad, and more.

Nabati Plant-Based Ice Cream – (Vegan) Nabati is 100% plant-based. That’s right, it is produced without harming animals or our planet.

SPROUTS GO WITH EVERYTHING Swap

LETTUCE FOR SPROUTS

Add

SPROUTS

SANDWICH, BURGER OR TACO SALADS, SMOOTHIES OR SAUCES

OMELETTES, SOUPS WITH SPROUTS OR TOASTS Top

Find our fresh sprouts in stores or grow your own! www.sproutingathome.com

VEGAN DIRECTORY

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FEATURED RESTAURANTS BROWARD Restaurants trending in the SoFlo Vegans Community.

Click the thumbnail to watch the video

LEAVES & ROOTS LOUNGE Leaves & Roots Lounge serves kava and kratom along with an assortment of vegan munchies.

In addition to them being an ongoing Diamond partner, SoFlo Vegans was on hand for their Cars & Kava event in addition to throwing a Halloween Party.

SPAJUICEBAR In addition to being part of our member promotion, SPAJUICEBAR joined us as a vendor for our second Veg Night Out event in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We also featured their founder Sonia Terboss on our SoFlo Vegans Podcast.

THE KRAZY VEGAN The Krazy Vegan is a 100% plant-based gourmet burger joint with a variety of handcrafted burgers, topped with our signature Krazy Sauce. In 2021, The Krazy Vegan participated as a vendor in our second Veg Night Out event and won best burger at the SEED Food & Wine Burger Battle.

BURGER HIVE Burger Hive serves vegan comfort food from their Davie location and food truck. They participated in our Veg Night Out event and offers our members a special promotion for wearing our gear to their restaurant.

VEGAN DIRECTORY

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RESTAURANT DIRECTORY BROWARD Directory of vegan and veg-friendly restaurants in Broward County. Click titles for more information.

Click the titles for information about the business.

COOPER CITY Vegan Tierra – (Vegan) 100% Vegan, 100% Fresh, 100% Organic. We do not use any processed foods!

CORAL SPRINGS Big Mike’s Baking Company and Cafe – (Veg) Certified gluten-free, vegan, keto, sugar-free option.

Cinnaholic – (Partner / Vegan) Proud to serve “create your own” cinnamon rolls and other sweet treats like made from scratch brownies, cookies, and edible cookie dough. All of our products are freshly baked and 100% vegan and Kosher, dairy & lactose-free, egg-free, and cholesterol-free.

DANIA BEACH Zen Mystery – (Vegan) Zen Mystery is an Organic Lounge / Cafe and Cultural Center located in the heart of Dania Beach, FL, offering cultural events/classes, organic food, and gifts to the South Florida community and anyone getting started on their health journey.

DAVIE Burger Hive – (Partner / Vegan) Burger Hive is a food truck serving vegan comfort food in the South Florida area. They mainly service the Broward County community.

Island Fusion Grill – (Vegan) A combination of the best Cuban, Jamaican Vegan Cuisine South Florida has to offer!

DEERFIELD BEACH Pauseitively Vegan – (Vegan) Founded in 2021, Pause...itively Vegan is Deerfield Beach’s first 100% plant-based restaurant.

The Modern Rose – (Veg) We are an eclectic café located in Deerfield Beach featuring locally-roasted coffee, organic and hard-to-come-by teas, an amazing avocado toast menu, baked delicious goodies, vegan and gluten-free options, and more!

VEGAN DIRECTORY

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RESTAURANT DIRECTORY BROWARD Click the titles for information about the business.

FORT LAUDERDALE Earth’s Goddess Holistics & Juicebar – (Partner / Vegan) Earth’s Goddess Holistics & Juicebar started as a dream from Jamaican Vegan and Master herbalist April Heath. They offer high-quality, exclusively plant-based face, skincare, body care products, cold-pressed juices, smoothies, vegan foods, candles, and holistic nutritional supplements.

Green Bar & Kitchen – (Vegan) Green Bar & Kitchen embodies the concept of vibrant, plant-based, wholesome eating. At Green Bar & Kitchen we focus on finding the very best organic local foods available and serving them in a way that is good for all of us and our community.

Leaves & Roots Lounge – (Partner / Vegan) Leaves & Roots Lounge is an all-vegan Kava and Kratom bar located in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale.

PS Green Vegan – (Vegan) Some of the dishes we serve at PS Green Vegan Express includes Hearty Lentil Soup, Tex-Mex Burger, and BBQ Jackfruit Burrito. We’re located south of Coral Ridge Country Club at the corner of Oakland Park Blvd and Federal Hwy. SoBe Vegan – (Partner / Vegan) SoBe Vegan offers a wide selection of salads, sandwiches, burgers, juices, shakes, and more.

SpaJuiceBar – (Partner / Vegan) Small, cheery stop offering cold-pressed juices, smoothies, acai bowls & plant-based food.

Vegan Bruder – (Vegan) The “Vegan Brothers” initiative to save the world is something we take very seriously. Join us in Stability, Economy, and Sustainability an (SES) company.

Vegan Junkie – (Vegan) 100% Plant-Based, Artisanal Handmade from scratch Double Stacked Superfood Burgers. We offer Breakfast All-Day & GF Desserts!

Vegan On the Go – (Vegan) Home Of The Non-Believer Hands Down Some Would Say the best Topped Impossible Burger Yet.

HALLANDALE BEACH Screaming Carrots – (Vegan) Screaming carrots promote compassionate, sustainable, nutrient-rich, and affordable eating without sacrificing flavor, quality, or quantity.

The Krazy Vegan – (Vegan) Screaming carrots promote compassionate, sustainable, nutrient-rich, and affordable eating without sacrificing flavor, quality, or quantity.

Treelion – (Vegan) Treelion is a juice bar and vegetarian restaurant proudly serving our community.

VEGAN DIRECTORY

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RESTAURANT DIRECTORY BROWARD Click the titles for information about the business.

HOLLYWOOD C4Eats – (Partner / Vegan) On a mission is to support our community with sustainable living by offering quality seasonal, authentic, healthy foods with hours that allow us to be accessible for most lifestyles.

Fancy Plants Salad Co. – (Veg) Sells plant-based salads.

Zaile Cakes – (Vegan) Zalie Cakes is a vegan bakery based in Hollywood, Florida. They specialize in making custom designs and even supplied us with the cake for our 2nd Anniversary Party.

MIRAMAR Vegan Delights – (Vegan) Curated a Global Vegan menu that is authentically flavored to honor the cultures and memories of the foods we all grew up on.

PLANTATION Chef Cristy’s Plant-based Unpretentious neighborhood cafe offering health-oriented raw food, cooking classes & retail produce.

Parlour Vegan Bakery – (Vegan) Vegan Bakery offering sweet & savory options!

POMPANO BEACH 10X Vegan – (Vegan) Vegan comfort food, burgers, and wings.

Fancy i Naturals – (Vegan) Vegan Frozen Novelties, Fresh Vegetable juices, All fruit Smoothies, and Vegan Sushi.

The Rabbit Hole – (Partner / Vegan) Cruelty-free comfort cuisine, conscientiously crafted by culinary experts using custom-curated plant-based proteins sustainably sourced from around the world.

Utopia Juice Bar – (Veg) Your go-to spot for Juices, smoothies, and the REAL ACAI BOWLS.

VEGAN DIRECTORY

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RESTAURANT DIRECTORY BROWARD Click the titles for information about the business.

SUNRISE Cauli Bites – (Vegan) Find them inside the Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise (Sawgrass), Florida.

Purple Wildflour Bakery – (Vegan) Purple WIldflour was created in order to bring the aroma of French pastries to South Florida in their glorious plant-based versions (you won’t tell).

WILTON MANORS Inika Foods – (Vegan) At Inika Foods, we create an international cuisine that blends dishes from around the world. We believe in healthy, delicious food, and create flavor from quality ingredients and spices.

Pac’s Pastries – (Partner / Vegan) On a mission to make quality confections that don’t sacrifice taste.

NEW YEAR, NEW TACO You want to eat better. We make it easy, delicious and ready to wow.

HODOFOODS.COM/RECIPES | @HODOFOODS

VEGAN DIRECTORY

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RESTAURANT DIRECTORY PALM BEACH Click the titles for information about the business.

BOCA RATON 4th Generation Organic Market & Cafe – (Veg) All-organic food store selling produce, groceries & an extensive selection of prepared dishes.

Cinnaholic – (Vegan) Proud to serve “create your own” cinnamon rolls and other sweet treats like made from scratch brownies, cookies, and edible cookie dough. All of our products are freshly baked and 100% vegan and Kosher, dairy & lactose-free, egg-free, and cholesterol-free.

Parlour Vegan Bakery – (Vegan) Vegan Bakery offering sweet & savory options.

BOYNTON BEACH Joey’s Home Bakery – (Vegan) All items are made in-house from scratch in our dedicated gluten-free bakery. From cookie to bagels, each loaf of artisan GF bread is all made by hand ourselves.

Natuurlik – (Vegan) Natuurlik is a vegan restaurant located in Boynton Beach, Florida. The meals boast an island flair, and are created to satisfy the palettes of vegans and non-vegans alike.

DELRAY BEACH Veg Eats Foods – (Partner / Vegan) Veg Eats Foods is a family-owned and operated company. Our goal is to share fresh, delicious, wholesome, plant-based vegan food that fuels and energizes without compromising flavor, taste, or satisfaction.

NORTH LAKE Sprouty Pie – (Partner / Vegan) Sprouty Pie is the only vegan pizzeria in the Palm Beaches!

Come grab delicious freshly prepared Italian fare.

VEGAN DIRECTORY

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RESTAURANTS PALM BEACH Click the titles for information about the business.

PALM BEACH GARDENS Christopher’s Kitchen – (Veg) We source the finest ingredients that are 100% organic and local whenever possible.

Meraki Juice Kitchen – (Veg) Our mission is to serve you the finest organic plant-based cuisine, cold-pressed juices, nut milk, tonics, and superfoods of superior nutritional value and delicious taste.

Plant Based Mafia – (Vegan) Plant Based Mafia is a Mafia-themed franchise restaurant with Italian and Southern influences.

RIVERA BEACH Dina’s Vegan Deli and Desserts – (Partner / Vegan) Home of the Vegan Philly Cheesesteak among many other popular clean, comfort foods! Our Seitan “Steak Meat” and “Cheese Whiz” are made in-house.

WEST PALM BEACH Darbster – (Vegan) Darbster is a unique plant-based bistro with a creative menu that will appeal to both the plant-based and mainstream diner.

La Chia Vegana Cafe – (Vegan) Vegan cafe features savory sandwiches (cuban, ‘shicken’ and meatless-ball) as well as empanadas, chia pudding bars, and beverages like smoothies, ginger shots, and coffee.

Meraki Juice Kitchen – (Veg) Our mission is to serve you the finest organic plant-based cuisine, cold-pressed juices, nut milk, tonics, and superfoods of superior nutritional value and delicious taste.

Planta West Palm Beach – (Partner / Vegan) Opened with the purpose of creating delicious food that promotes environmental sustainability. The restaurant’s vision is to celebrate innovative cuisine in a beautiful environment taking animals off the plate.

FEATURED INTERVIEWS

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INGRID NEWKIRK

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president.

Sean Russell: We’ll love to know how did you first get started? You know, what seeds were planted for you to go down this path?

Ingrid Newkirk: Well, you know, I was a very slow learner and so I have a lot of understanding for people who don’t get it initially. It took me a while. I grew up with a father who was a gourmand and together, we basically ate our way through the animal kingdom.

And I have to tell you that when I was about 20, 19 or 20, liver and onions, I would go anywhere for it. And I would use raw steak and put a raw egg in it and mix it up and eat it. So I am not somebody who grew up as a vegan, or a vegetarian, or anything near that. But a series of events changed me. And it was one at a time. The very first thing was snails. I used to eat snails and I bought, I’m a bad cook, but I bought some live snails in a market, this Italian market, they said, “Oh, they’re easy. You can just take them home. You soak them overnight. And then you sauté them in some Chablis and garlic.” And I thought, “Well, I can do that.”

So I had them in a paper bag in my car. I was driving through the countryside to my house and I got the feeling I was being watched. And I thought, there’s no one here. I looked over and the snails had forced open and they do this, in my book, I talk about this, in another way. But they came to the top of the bag and had pushed open the top. And they were all up there looking at me with their little horns, you know, looking. So I took them and let them go in the bottom of my garden.

Sean Russell: Oh, that’s nice.

Ingrid Newkirk: I probably violated some federal law, but I wasn’t going to eat them, so that was the end of snails. Next came lobsters. Somebody took me for this gorgeous dinner for my birthday. I think I was 19, in Philadelphia, a lobster restaurant. And they brought two or three lobsters to the table on a silver platter, alive. And you had to pick your lobster. And I did.

And the lobsters were waving their antenna at you.

And I said, “I’ll have that one.” And they said, grilled or boiled. And back then I was so oblivious, I had no idea that if you say broiled in a restaurant like that, they slit open the live lobster’s back, put butter all through it, salt and pepper and shove it under the grill.

Sean Russell: Oh, wow.

Ingrid Newkirk: And so I said, broiled. That lobster came back. We were having a great time. We had some beautiful wine and it was a lovely event. I took that first bite of lobster and something must have triggered, something must have hit me subconsciously.

I burst into tears, because I realized the only method of communication those lobsters had was to waggle their antenna. They didn’t speak English. They don’t have voices like anybody else. And I had taken his life for my birthday. So that was the end of all shellfish, of molluscs, that is gone. And the next thing I’ll just leave you with the one, because this is the slow learner’s story. I was a law enforcement officer in Maryland.

INTERVIEWS Sean Russell: Oh, okay.

Ingrid Newkirk: And I went to a farm where the people had moved away and they had left the animals behind. And the animals had starved.

They’d had a party and they had had broken glass in the stalls and the animals were cut up, but they were all dead except for one little pig. And I took that little pig outside and I put his head under the water pump and held up his head so he could drink. And he made these little sounds of gratitude.

That’s all you can say. And then I sent him off to the veterinarian. I was going to prosecute those people for failure to pay rent, for abandonment, and so on.

Driving home that night, and this was before we had microwave ovens. I thought, “Oh, I’m starving.

What have I got to eat?” And I thought, “Oh great. I defrosted the pork chops.”

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And I said, it’s condensed milk. And he said, well, you don’t eat veal, do you? And I said, no, of course not. I would never take a baby cow away from his mother for veal. And he said to me, so how do you think you get the milk? Don’t you have to take away the baby cow, isn’t there a bit of veal in every glass or drop of milk. And I said, but they don’t kill the cow, do they?

They don’t kill the cow. You know, you hear that?

And I said it, oh, how mortifying. And today, if someone says that to me, I always say, “Oh, really where is this massive retirement home for cows, because I’ve never seen one.” You know, they all get kicked and prodded down the ramp to their deaths. The same as the beef cow does, except those mother cows are in worse condition, so that was the end of the milk.

Sean Russell: No. Ingrid Newkirk: And then, ding, ding, ding. I thought, hang on a minute. I’m going to prosecute those people for what they did to that little pig. And yet I know in my heart, and now I know with my eyes from later, I know in my heart, as we all do, that a slaughter house is a hideous place. And the pork chops came from a slaughter house, from a pig who couldn’t have wanted to die, so that really was the beginning of that. And later, somebody razzed me terribly and said, what are you putting in your tea? And every morning I had a cup of tea with condensed milk in it..

Purchase animalkind on Amazon.com

VEGAN DIRECTORY

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FEATURED BAKERIES SOUTH FLORIDA Bakeries trending in the SoFlo Vegans Community. Click the play icons to watch the videos.

PURE VEGAN CAKES Pure Vegan Cake specializes in Vegan custom cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and other baked goods.

They provided samples of their baked goods at one of our FTL Artwalk events and have been a strong supporter of our organization on social media.

PAC PASTRIES Cruelty-free comfort cuisine, conscientiously crafted by culinary experts using custom curated plant-based proteins sustainably sourced from around the world.

V2 BAKED VEGAN BAKERY Gourmet Vegan Cakes, Desserts and Baked Goods for any occasion. V2 Baked Vegan Bakery also supported our Veg Night Out event as a vendor.

COURTNEY’S COOKIES Courtney’s Cookies is an organic, gluten-free, vegan and low-glycemic cookie company.

We’ve reinvented the cookie with your health and tastebuds in mind. You can find them on Saturday’s at the Coconut Grove Farmer’s Market.

VEGAN DIRECTORY

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FEATURED BOOKS

Click below to see featured interviews and content on these books and more.

1. UNBELIVEABLY VEGAN More than 100 big, bold, sock-you-sideways plant-based vegan recipes from the breakout star of The Game Changers, chef Charity Morgan.

2. THE PLANT-BASED ATHLETE The only research-based guide for connecting a plant-based diet with peak athletic performance, featuring interviews with professional athletes who’ve made the switch from meat to plants.

3. HOW NOT TO DIE From Dr. Michael Greger, the physician behind the wildly popular NutritionFacts website, How Not to Die reveals the groundbreaking scientific evidence behind the only diet that can prevent and reverse many of the causes of disease-related death.

4. EPIC VEGAN QUICK AND EASY Veteran author and creator of The Vegan Roadie series, Dustin Harder serves as your guide to all things vegan, showing you how to use straightforward ingredients and techniques to make every meal epic.

5. HEALTHY AT LAST A Plant-Based Approach to Preventing and Reversing Diabetes and Other Chronic Illnesses.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams is on a mission to tackle one of the most stubborn health problems in the country: chronic disease in the African American community.

VEGAN DIRECTORY

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DOCUMENTARIES

Click below to see featured interviews and content on these books and more.

1. THEY’RE TRYING TO KILL US They’re Trying To Kill Us is a 2021 American documentary film co-directed and produced by John Lewis and Keegan Kuhn. The film was executive produced by NBA All-star Chris Paul and Billie Eilish.

2. THE GAME CHANGERS Tells the story of James Wilks — elite special forces trainer and winner of The Ultimate Fighter — as he travels the world on a quest for the truth behind the world’s most dangerous

3. SEASPIRACY Seaspiracy is a 2021 documentary film about the environmental impact of fishing directed by and starring Ali Tabrizi, a British filmmaker.

4. WHAT THE HEALTH The feature film Forks Over Knives examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us, can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods.

5. COWSPIRACY A groundbreaking feature-length environmental documentary following intrepid filmmaker Kip Andersen as he uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today – and investigates why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it.

INTERVIEWS

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EARTHLING ED

Sean Russell: So now I want to go back a little bit before you did the YouTube, what made you want to become vegan, and around when did this happen in your journey?

Earthling Ed: So let’s go back to May, would it be about three, four years ago? No, May 2014, I think it was. This is when the first kind of main thing triggered in my head about it. And I came across this story basically. And it was about this truck full of chickens on the way to slaughterhouse. It crashed on the motorway. And I was reading, it was in BBC News.

And I was reading about it and the journalist was saying that, I think it was like 15 hundred of these animals, had died on the impact on the crash. And there were hundreds more that were mutilated. They had broken wings, broken bones, they were dying on the side of the road. And even more so what disturbed me was, they’re were some running for freedom, running into nearby fields and even running into oncoming traffic..

And it really disturbed me and shook me. And I remember thinking how horrible it must be for these animals. And they must be suffering terribly and the ones that are alive must be so scared and so full of fear. But I realized that, well, actually in my fridge, just over there, there’s some dead chickens.

And the only reason they were in that truck is because I was paying for them to be there. And it was hypocritical of me to feel sorry for these animals when I was the one that sentenced them to that situation.

And if anything, the ones that had died in impact had a more pleasant death than the ones that would make it to the slaughterhouse because their death would’ve been instantaneous. But the ones that have been taken to slaughterhouse had the fear as they’ve been hung upside down and dragged with the electric water before having their throats cut.

So I went vegetarian after that because, well, I mean, I didn’t know about the dairy industries, but I couldn’t sit comfortably with myself knowing that the animals that I ate had emotions like fear and pain and suffering. And it was in interesting because it was the first time that I actually recognized that these animals did suffer. It’s funny because it seems so obvious that, of course these animals are alive, they suffer, but we never think about it. And I acknowledged very easily that dogs and cats felt pain and wanted to live and had a preference to live. But the animals on my plate, for some reason, I didn’t think they had those same abilities or those same ones. So it forced me to reevaluate how I view the animals that I would normally see on my plate.

INTERVIEWS And I realized actually, these animals are just the same as me or the animals that I love and they want to live. And because they want to live, how do I justify taking their life? There was no justification because there isn’t one. So that was what made me go veggie.

And then my partner, this is about eight months later. She says we should watch Earthlings. And I said to her no, I’m not going to watch that. I mean, I knew a little bit what it was about. I’m like, there’s no way I’m going to watch that. I’m a vegetarian. Animals don’t die for me. Right? That thought that many of us have had as vegetarians. That’s what I thought, animals don’t die for me. There’s no need for me to watch Earthlings. I even said veganism is extreme. I said that myself.

Sean Russell: Mm. Earthling Ed: One day she put it on. I thought, okay, let’s just watch it. So I watched it and it was kind after that, I was like, oh, this is serious. This is far bigger than just meats. In fact, it’s far bigger than just the animal products that we eat. This is everything.

Clothing, cosmetics, animal testing, entertainment, the magnitude of it, it dawned on me in that moment. Is so huge and so vast that simply being vegetarian didn’t come close to being enough. So that was what triggered me then to look up the environment and the health and go vegan.

Sean Russell: And along those lines of your progression, I’m so glad to hear that you did only because of where you stand right now, that it wasn’t just immediate. Even though you went through that incident with that article, became vegetarian, there was still room for you to move forward into where you are today. And hopefully a lot of people listening to that will realize that, hey, it’s just being conscious of what’s actually happening and arming yourself with the knowledgeEarthling Ed: Yeah.

Sean Russell: ... to be able to eventually make that shift because I hear a lot, veganism is extreme.

Earthling Ed: Yeah.

Sean Russell: But, the point that I want to make now is, do you recognize any seeds that might have been planted prior to you reading that article that made you make that shift?

SOFLOVEGANS.COM 22

Earthling Ed: So I’m really happy you asked this question, because this is something I’d actually been thinking about recently. And now I think how old will I have been? So I was in school. This won’t mean anything to you guys. I was in secondary school in year eight. So I don’t know what that equals in the US. But I would’ve been about, I guess, 12 maybe.

And it was an English literature class. And I don’t really remember why, but for some reason the topic of vegetarianism came up and we had a vegetarian.

There was a vegetarian girl in my class. And I remember I raised my hand in the air and the teacher was like, yes, Edward. And I went, all vegetarians are weak, pale and skinny. And I remember this vegetarian girl in my class was so angry at me. She was furious at me. But in my head, I didn’t understand why she’d be angry because I thought I was just stating the truth. It was kind of really ironic because I was pale, weak and skinny my myself. So the irony was totally lost to me, but I’m saying that vegetarians are pale, weak and skinny. I ate meat and I was also pale, weak and skinny. It was kind of funny, but I didn’t understand why she was angry at me. And I think that’s what kind of this thought went through my head of, well, am I not just stating facts?

Now see vegetarianism, the only time it was ever brought up in my family was when it was being mocked and when it was being judged. And for whatever reason, my family weren’t very tolerant to the concept of vegetarians. And it was a joke. And I think that societal conditioning had been so installed in my head that it was just an automatic reaction for me to say that that’s what vegetarians were like.

I didn’t even register whether it was a good thing to say or a bad thing to say, I just blurted it out because that’s what I’ve been told.

But her being angry at me caused this reaction which made me think, well actually, why is she angry at me? And I looked at her and I thought, well, she’s not pale. And she’s certainly stronger than I am. So maybe there’s something about this vegetarianism. But obviously I, I went home and continued to eat animal products without ever questioning it. But I think that was a little bit of the moment.

And then I came to university, so now I’m 18. And I actually became friends with a lot of vegetarians and they would obviously make a point of being vegetarian. And by that, I mean, when we ordered food, it was always vegetarian. They never cheated on it or anything like that. And I think being around those people influenced me a lot and kind of taught me a lot about being vegetarian and what it was.

Now, I didn’t know a single vegan.

INTERVIEWS And when I went vegan with my partner, we had never met a vegan in our life. To be honest, I was a bit of a reluctant vegan. I was like, I’m doing it for the animals, but I don’t enjoy. It’s like, I want to eat those animal products. And that’s kind of how it was at the beginning. I really missed it. And I missed eating things like Halloumi and getting Domino’s pizza and stuff.

And I think what we often portray ourselves is going vegan. And then that’s it, we’re straight in there. But, it’s not quite as true as that. And for me, when I first went vegan, I did miss those products. I mean, there was no denying that. And I did crave them and I did want them. And that kind of evolution of my veganism is quite apparent to see that it took me several months before I really felt comfortable with it and I fully understood it. And I thought actually, you know what, now I get it. Now I feel it. And this is something that I’m going to do for life. Because when I first went vegan, I’d said stuff like one day I’ll have a burger again. Or I’ll have a fried egg or whatever it was that would keep me going at that time. I’ll have Halloumi again.

SOFLOVEGANS.COM 23

Then we meet more people on that journey. We meet more activists, we meet more vegans. The community grows. It gets easier and more accessible into society.

And it’s a beautiful thing. We’re living in a very exciting time. And there’s such a massive change, a radical change happening, particularly where I am in the UK and where you guys are in the US. There’s such a fundamental shift going on that I cannot wait to see where we are in five years time. And to see this progression continue.

It was kind of like a way of making myself feel better about it because I was really scared that I’m never going to eat those things again. People are going to judge me. I’ve never met a vegan before. I’m going to go into uni and everyone’s going to be like, what are you thinking? So my little get out of jail clause was one day I’ll eat Halloumi again or whatever it was. And that kind of stuck with me for the first eight weeks or so. And then I felt, no, now I get it. This is what I’m doing. This is why I’m doing it. I’m never going to go back. It all clicked into place kind of rather suddenly.

A little bit off topic into what you asked, but this I can see in my head this progression of how I am today.

And it really just feel like these stages of my life.

And that’s the beauty of it is, it’s such a journey. And And I don’t know if maybe you feel the same or anyone whose listening feels the same. But I look back on who I was before I was vegan. And I just don’t recognize myself. And I think who was this person that enjoyed these things and who was this person who loved bacon and loved chicken flesh and loved all these things. I don’t know who that person was. It doesn’t feel like it was ever me. It feels like a different person. And those memories have somehow got installed in my head by mistake. It’s a funny thing, but I don’t know, to see that progression makes me really pleased because I know that it is a journey and the beauty of veganism, the journey never ends. And I know where I’m going to be next year. I’m going to look back on who I am now and go, who was I back then? This is a different person to the person I am now.

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