#205: Vegan Vicki of Koncious Kuisine - Cancer Survivor to Vegan Chef
Chef Vegan Vicki
Chef Vegan Vicki is a proud Cleveland native who, in 2008, was diagnosed with non-smoking lung cancer.
After surgery, she started researching ways to get healthy and avoid a recurrence of this or any form of cancer. No surprise, her homework led her to a whole foods, plant-based diet and she ended up losing almost 100 lbs!
This transformation changed everything in her life and she went from working in the insurance industry to becoming an iconic chef.
In this inspiring conversation, she shared how she started her cooking journey at the Cleveland Veg Fest and Taste of Black Cleveland events, offering mouthwatering vegan soul food that no one else was making at the time.
As you can imagine, she faced initial resistance and skepticism towards vegan food; however, she persisted, gained recognition, and eventually became the first vegan to be in a major sports arena at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland!
Today, as founder of Koncious Kuisine, she’s also a private vegan chef to several families and members of the NBA and NFL, and continues to run pop-ups in the arena and all over the Cleveland area.
"It's amazing to me, like, really breaking barriers for other vegans that are coming up and starting businesses. It's like, wow, I'm the first to do this. This is amazing."
Episode Highlights
10:10 Her surprising diagnosis and Medical journey in 2008
15:00 How she went from the Queen of Longhorn Steakhouse to a plant-based diet, thanks to a stranger in a grocery store
22:15 From insurance to iconic chef?!
35:00 From initial skepticism and reluctance, to all-out stardom with her vegan soul food
38:00 Where does she find her inspiration and what's it like cooking for the stars?
41:36 Vicki’s favorite mouth-watering sandwich
45:00 More rapid-fire questions with Vicki - her best scrambled egg substitute, sweet potato pie, risotto, and more
50:00 Vegan Vicki’s favorite cookware
Episode Resources
Follow Vegan Vicki on Instagram - @koncious_kuisine
Article on Vegan Vicki in VegNews
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Full Audio Transcript
Rip Esselstyn [00:00:00]:
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Vegan Vicki [00:04:19]:
I am wonderful. I'm even better because I am on the PLANTSTRONG podcast, which is one of my favorite podcasts, and so I'm doing amazing well.
Rip Esselstyn [00:04:35]:
Good. And you are in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, aren't you?
Vegan Vicki [00:04:39]:
Yes, I am in Cleveland, and we have had all four seasons in one week. Absolutely.
Rip Esselstyn [00:04:49]:
So what have you had? Snow. And have you had a 75 deg day or what's going on?
Vegan Vicki [00:04:55]:
Absolutely. Well, you know what? No, we didn't have snow, but we did have cold temperatures. We had some rain. Then we had a summer day. Two days ago was like, 75, 76. Then, of course, the next day, it's 40.
Rip Esselstyn [00:05:10]:
Yeah. Well, you reached out to me the other day because you wanted me to be on your dope vegan friends.
Vegan Vicki [00:05:21]:
Yes.
Rip Esselstyn [00:05:21]:
It's your instagram live segment. We had a lot of fun. And when you reached out to me a couple of weeks ago, I did a little research on you, and I was like, wow, I have to have this fascinating, remarkable woman on the Plantbased Drawn podcast. A you're from Cleveland, which I adore and love and will always have a warm spot in my heart for.
Vegan Vicki [00:05:47]:
Absolutely.
Rip Esselstyn [00:05:48]:
And of course, you're vegan. You're Plant Strong, but even more than that, you've got quite a journey, quite a story, and you're a grinder, but you make things happen. And so I want to talk about all that stuff with our audience today. I'm just trying to figure out where we should start, and I think a good place might be were you born and raised in Cleveland? Have you been in Cleveland your whole life?
Vegan Vicki [00:06:22]:
Yes, I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, so I have been here my whole life. But I got deep Southern roots from my family, so that's where I get my cooking chops from. But I definitely born and raised and still love Cleveland. No matter how bad they talk about us, I still love my city.
Rip Esselstyn [00:06:51]:
So where in Cleveland do you live? Are you on the east side? West side, like Lakewood? Where are you? Rocky river?
Vegan Vicki [00:06:58]:
No, I'm actually on the east side near Bedford, Ohio.
Rip Esselstyn [00:07:04]:
Okay, sure.
Vegan Vicki [00:07:04]:
Yes, I'm in that area, absolutely. Yeah.
Rip Esselstyn [00:07:08]:
Well, wonderful. Now, I don't know too many people from Cleveland that are vegan. I think more and more people are obviously becoming vegan.
Vegan Vicki [00:07:21]:
Absolutely.
Rip Esselstyn [00:07:22]:
But I'd love to understand how you got turned on to being Plant Strong with your life?
Vegan Vicki [00:07:30]:
Sure. Well, how I became plant strong is actually I started back in 2008. I was diagnosed with non smoker lung cancer. So before that, I was an avid meat eater. I mean, the steakhouses knew me by name. Honey.
Rip Esselstyn [00:07:56]:
Tell me the name of a steakhouse in Cleveland that knew you by name.
Vegan Vicki [00:08:01]:
Oh, Longhorn.
Rip Esselstyn [00:08:02]:
Okay.
Vegan Vicki [00:08:02]:
Longhorn on Texas Roadhouse. Texas roadhouse was my baby you can go in and pick your steak. They say, which one you want? That was me. But in June of 2008, if anybody is familiar with vertigo, sometimes I have bouts of vertigo where it messes with their equilibrium and things like that. On my way to work, and I stopped off at Hillcrest Hospital and went to get told, just give my little pink peel so I can go home, rest for the rest of the day. And the following day, my primary physician contacted me and told me they found a mass on your lung. And I'm like, what? And he was like, you don't smoke, do you? And I'm like, no, because I've been with my primary physician since I was probably, like, eight years old. So he knew everything about me, and I just started taking tests and everything. Came back inconclusive and went to a cardiothoracic surgeon. Same test, same blood test. And the crazy thing is, for anybody that knows anybody with cancer, you can look it up. The Pet scan is when they inject you, and the diet is supposed to go right to the source of that. Came back inconclusive, didn't go anywhere, which was so they told me, oh, you'd have to have the worst luck for it to be something bad. And I'm like, well, I don't believe in luck. My faith carries me. And what was supposed to be an hour, like 45 minutes to an hour biopsy ended up being a five and a half hour procedure.
Rip Esselstyn [00:09:48]:
So they put you under for this?
Vegan Vicki [00:09:50]:
Yeah, they put me under because at this point, they say, well, we don't know what it is. We're going to go in, just do a wedge incision, take it out, do a biopsy, and we'll see. So it was supposed to be 45 minutes to an hour. Ended up being five and a half hours later. And I come out and I'm in ICU, and the doctor says, you know it was cancer? And I'm like, how would I know it was cancer? Yeah. So they removed my lower left lung because I had what they call bronchiovial or carcinoma mucinics, which is cancer that's in your bronchial area. Yeah, so had that. And like I said, no history of cancer in my family. Nothing. I'll be 15 years cancer free this year. And they still don't know what caused it.
Rip Esselstyn [00:10:44]:
Yeah. So this was in 2008, you had this procedure done?
Vegan Vicki [00:10:49]:
Absolutely.
Rip Esselstyn [00:10:50]:
Removed the lower part of your left lung.
Vegan Vicki [00:10:53]:
Yeah.
Rip Esselstyn [00:10:53]:
And after they did the procedure, was there anything else, like chemotherapy? Or radiation?
Vegan Vicki [00:11:00]:
No. For me, when I was under, they took lymph nodes to test and did all of that, and they didn't find anything. And because they took the part of the lung out, I didn't have to go through any type of chemotherapy or radiation, but I did have to go through breathing treatments and therapy because the way they sealed me up and everything, it was really still hard for me to even try to expand my lungs. So I had to go through treatments like that. But no, thank the Lord, no chemotherapy or no radiation.
Rip Esselstyn [00:11:43]:
So what was the recovery period like as far as you getting your lung function back? Do you have it back completely or you know what?
Vegan Vicki [00:11:53]:
Sometimes I still have trouble, like de inhaling, especially when it's cold outside, it almost feels like a balloon. That when it gets cold and it scrunches up, it almost feels like that, and it's tight. But other than that, my lung capacity is really good. When I go to the physician, even in surgery, they said that my lung capacity never went below like a 95, which was they were like, this is amazing. I don't get it. And I remember just telling the doctors, even when I'm because you have to spend like 24 hours in ICU, and then you go to a regular room, and I can remember telling them, I don't want to be in a room with anybody. I want my own room because I'm not sick. I don't want to be around sick people. And I remember vividly because I was like, I want to get out of here. And I remember just and my faith kept me going, and I'm like, Look, I'm not sick. I don't want to be around sick people. So I just want to heal and be on my way.
Rip Esselstyn [00:13:00]:
So you've mentioned faith several times today. What is your faith? What's your belief?
Vegan Vicki [00:13:07]:
Well, my belief I'm a Christian. I believe in Jesus Christ. He's my savior. And I believe that he is definitely healed me and has put me on a path because I always believe that what I went through was not for me. Because of the fact that I've been able to help so many people along my journey and help them and for them to see me, especially with lung cancer, to see me being healed from lung cancer, which is one of the you really don't know you have it until the final stages of it because that's when you start showing symptoms. And people always say, well, you must have been in stage one. And I said, no, I was in the Jesus stage because there was nothing I mean, going in for one thing and then coming out.
Rip Esselstyn [00:14:08]:
Yeah, well, looking back, how fortuitous that you decided to go in and try and get that little pill for your vertigo.
Vegan Vicki [00:14:15]:
Right. And the thing is, when I was there, they were like, well, we're just going to take an X ray. And I'm like, you all wasting my time. Why are you taking an X ray? Because I'm like, usually I just get the pig pill and I'm gone. But I'm so grateful that how the Lord just orchestrated my steps to get me to where I needed to be and be here today to talk to Rip.
Rip Esselstyn [00:14:44]:
So looking back, it sounds like you're in some ways thankful that you got the lung cancer.
Vegan Vicki [00:14:53]:
Absolutely.
Rip Esselstyn [00:14:53]:
And the gifts that have ensued because of that. Is that correct?
Vegan Vicki [00:14:57]:
Absolutely. I'm grateful because if it was not for that, I wouldn't have studied and looked into being vegetarian at first and then vegan and then plant strong and then meeting people and helping people along the way and really just sharing my testimony with other people.
Rip Esselstyn [00:15:21]:
Yeah. So how soon after your procedure did you then go from going to Longhorn Steakhouse to start eating a plant based diet?
Vegan Vicki [00:15:36]:
Actually, okay, so my surgery so within the span it was June within my surgery was July 9, and it was the week of Thanksgiving, the same year, 2008. That actually the Plane Dealer, the local paper here, they had a because I was going to the library first. I was going to the library, just really trying to make some sense of what was going on. And I was getting books out, like I was writing a dissertation about just trying to really find out about cancer, what could cause cancer and things like that. And I remember the week before Thanksgiving, the plane dealer had a three page article about food and how it's processed. And I was reading it and I was like, oh my gosh. And I literally went cold turkey, no pun intended. The week of Thanksgiving, at first I was vegetarian, but I stopped eating eggs, so I was a lacto vegetarian, so I was still drinking milk, things like that. And that was like the week of Thanksgiving. So I was doing that, and then I started seeing changes and my three month checkup, five month checkup, everything was clear and good. And then I started losing weight. And then I said, well, you know what? I started studying more, and I was like, well, I think I'm going to become a vegan. That was about maybe about a year after becoming a vegetarian. About a year later, I became vegan. And there was really nothing like how it is now. Of course, it was not mainstream. And not just that there was nobody that looked like me that was vegan.
Rip Esselstyn [00:17:36]:
When I told people, meaning that very few black people, very few black people in Cleveland that were doing this.
Vegan Vicki [00:17:43]:
Absolutely. And I remember I was in a grocery store and there was an elderly black woman, and I don't even know how we strung up the conversation because I was looking at some tofu and I was like, oh my gosh, I tried this before, but I'm going to try to do it again. So she just started talking. And at the time, she had been 40 years vegan. And I almost wanted to cry because I was like, you get me, you get me. And it just really encouraged me to just stay with it. At that time, I ended up losing like, 83 pounds.
Rip Esselstyn [00:18:31]:
Wow.
Vegan Vicki [00:18:31]:
Because of the fact I know I'm probably talking too much. I'm sorry, Rick.
Rip Esselstyn [00:18:36]:
No, it's all good. It's all good.
Vegan Vicki [00:18:38]:
But what I noticed is that at that time, I was plant strong. You could not tell me anything because there was nothing that was out, like the processed foods and things like that. So I was definitely playing strong. So I lost 83 pounds. And then they started coming out with the process. What, they got burgers now? Oh, they got hot dogs. And your girl gained about 50 pounds of pack.
Rip Esselstyn [00:19:08]:
It happens.
Vegan Vicki [00:19:09]:
It happens. And it was just like the other day, I was talking to my sister and I said and it was like an epiphany, because I'm back in the gym and I'm doing and I'm back plant strong. I'm like, I don't even want them processed food. And I said, you know what? I know I was plant based vegan back in the day because there was nothing out there.
Rip Esselstyn [00:19:37]:
It is. And so is that why when I was looking through your Instagram post in the beginning of March, it looked like you said, okay, I'm going plant heavy for the month of March? Yes, basically, you're going back to the basics.
Vegan Vicki [00:19:50]:
I'm going back to the because I was like, this is ridiculous. Because I was like, I don't want anything else. Because as I'm thinking and no dig to anybody if you do it, that's beautiful. But for me, I'm like, what's the difference between me eating this processed burger and another processed burger? I mean, they're both processed. So, yeah, I was like, I'm done. I am back to my original state of mind and being plant strong.
Rip Esselstyn [00:20:25]:
That's good. What was the reaction from your family? First, let me ask you, are your mother and father still alive?
Vegan Vicki [00:20:34]:
No, they're deceased.
Rip Esselstyn [00:20:35]:
Okay.
Vegan Vicki [00:20:35]:
Yeah, they passed away before. My dad's, like, 98, and my mom passed away in 2006.
Rip Esselstyn [00:20:42]:
Okay.
Vegan Vicki [00:20:43]:
But I had my sister and my brothers and stuff.
Rip Esselstyn [00:20:46]:
Okay. And what do they think about what you're doing as far as your journey and being plant based?
Vegan Vicki [00:20:52]:
You know what, my sister loves it because she gets the best of both worlds. I'm the only vegan in the family, so family functions. Are you still doing that? I'm like, it's 15 years.
Rip Esselstyn [00:21:07]:
Yeah, you still doing that?
Vegan Vicki [00:21:11]:
I literally had a shirt made that says, yes, I'm still vegan. Stop asking.
Rip Esselstyn [00:21:19]:
That is awesome.
Vegan Vicki [00:21:20]:
But the one thing about it, my sister, she is very supportive. And my family, they'll ask me that, but they're still very supportive about what I do. At first, they're like, what are you doing? Okay, yeah, whatever. Go on. I'm like no, I'm serious. I am not eating meat anymore. And I always tell them, Popeyes will not go out of business because I'm not eating chicken anymore.
Rip Esselstyn [00:21:48]:
No. Or chickfila. Now, what did you do for work up until about 2015?
Vegan Vicki [00:22:00]:
Actually, I worked at Progressive Insurance.
Rip Esselstyn [00:22:04]:
Oh, yeah, insurance.
Vegan Vicki [00:22:06]:
Yeah. So I think that was, like, everybody's job back in that time.
Rip Esselstyn [00:22:11]:
Their home base is Cleveland, right?
Vegan Vicki [00:22:14]:
So I was with Progressive Insurance, and then I was with a charter school. So I worked the front office there, and I was with Progressive during this time where I had the surgery.
Rip Esselstyn [00:22:32]:
Got you. Now, tell me, at what point did you decide or how was that seed planted? Where you were like, you know what? I'm going to start my own business. I'm going to start cooking. I am going to do Koncious Kuisine. How did that happen?
Vegan Vicki [00:22:57]:
You know what, it was about 2013 where I was actually like, cooking. But before that, I was, you know, making my own food. And really, you know, because I was like, I just I gotta eat, so and I'm gonna start just making my own, you know, making my own foods and stuff. And when I would take my lunch, people are like, oh, what's that? And I'm like, oh, it's just some tofu. And then I'm like, just taste it. So I would take food to people just to try it, because I thought it was good, because I always called my mom the MacGyver of cooking, because she was one of my mom's, some of the best cooks ever. So I just used a lot of the stuff that I learned, and I would just apply it and make it vegan.
Rip Esselstyn [00:23:55]:
So you're cagey like your mother in the kitchen?
Vegan Vicki [00:23:58]:
Absolutely. So I would cook, and then I would share food with people. And then all of a sudden, they were like, well, can you make me some food for a couple of days? And I'm like, okay. And they're like, well, how much? And I'm like, I don't know. So then as much more that started. And my first name was actually Urban Sweetness, because I had this idea that I was just going to make little mini vegan desserts. So that name kind of stuck. But they would ask me to occasionally make sweets. But it was always the savory stuff. They were like, no, what's the other stuff you made? And I'm like, oh, the vegan crab cakes. Yes, I want some of those, and I want this. So I decided to do the Cleveland Veg Fest for the first time, where I was doing vegan soul food, because there was nobody in Cleveland doing vegan soul food. So I said, Well, I'm only going to make enough just in case nobody wants it, I'm only going to make enough for about 100 people. And that's it. Because the Cleveland Veg Fest was one of the best ones ever. I don't know if you've gone or whatever. So I'm there, I'm making it, and this was like, maybe 2017.
Rip Esselstyn [00:25:33]:
And are you selling it? Do you have, like, a booth in yourself?
Vegan Vicki [00:25:37]:
I have a booth. By this time, I had legally made myself a business.
Rip Esselstyn [00:25:43]:
And are you now Urban Sweetness, or.
Vegan Vicki [00:25:46]:
Have you changed to no, I'm Koncious Kuisine now.
Rip Esselstyn [00:25:50]:
We're going to come back to sorry, no, we're going to come back to that. So tell me. Konscious Kuisine?
Vegan Vicki [00:25:57]:
Yes.
Rip Esselstyn [00:25:58]:
How did you come up with that name and why the K's?
Vegan Vicki [00:26:00]:
That's pretty you know what, the K's? I wish I had some real intellectual thing. I just thought it was cute.
Rip Esselstyn [00:26:10]:
Cute with a K?
Vegan Vicki [00:26:11]:
Cute with a K. But I wanted a name that people because urban sweetness, they're like, well, what do you do? What is that? And I'm like, I'm a vegan chef, and I do that. And they're like, oh, okay. And I'm like, what can I but the more I started just thinking about what I serve to people and how I want people to make a conscious decision about what they're putting in their body, and even for myself, I was like, oh, Koncious Kuisine. You're going to make a conscious effort to serve people plant based foods, whole plant based foods and things like that. So that's where the name came from.
Rip Esselstyn [00:27:04]:
I think it's brilliant. Tell me about your coat of arms there. It looks like a fork, and then is that.
Vegan Vicki [00:27:15]:
Yes, time.
Rip Esselstyn [00:27:16]:
Got it.
Vegan Vicki [00:27:17]:
Yes. With the fork and the time herb. Yes.
Rip Esselstyn [00:27:21]:
That's really cool. For my first book, the Engine Two Diet in 2009, my coat of arms was very similar to that. I had a fork, and then I had a pickhead axe.
Vegan Vicki [00:27:31]:
Yeah, actually, that book is right over there. Yes. I'm like, I am the official stalker of your family. I have, like, every book. I'm like, wait, they got a new book out? Wait, I got to go get it now.
Rip Esselstyn [00:27:49]:
Let's go back. Let's go back to that vegan veg fest.
Vegan Vicki [00:27:52]:
Yes.
Rip Esselstyn [00:27:53]:
So you made enough for 100 just.
Vegan Vicki [00:27:55]:
In case.
Rip Esselstyn [00:27:58]:
And what happened?
Vegan Vicki [00:27:59]:
Right? My sister tells me, okay, stop doing that, because I still be like, okay, I don't want to make too much. I don't want to take any food home, but I made enough for about 100 people. And when I tell you I still have the longest line ever for a veg fest in Cleveland, I say, you want a little sample? I'm giving out samples, and people are like, oh, my gosh, this is so good. And when I tell you and of course, I ran out of food in, like about an hour, and 15 minutes was like 5 hours.
Rip Esselstyn [00:28:44]:
Yeah.
Vegan Vicki [00:28:46]:
And that was, like, my first experience. And that's when my name started getting out there. And I would do pop ups at different places, and people were showing up, and the lines were like, out the door. And it made me feel so good because it allowed me to not only share my gift, but tell my story and really meet people. And that's one thing I love. I mean, just talking to people that enjoy the food and things like that, that's my superpower.
Rip Esselstyn [00:29:23]:
What did you make for that first veggie fest in 2017? Was it your crab cakes from Lion, Maine?
Vegan Vicki [00:29:31]:
No, and actually that I was kind of gearing off of the plant based because I had made, like, a brisket, so I had soul food. So I make this sauteed kale. That is amazing.
Rip Esselstyn [00:29:49]:
Oh, yeah.
Vegan Vicki [00:29:52]:
So I made a sauteed kale. So I had kale, greens, mac and cheese, candied, sweet potatoes, brisket. So I had those things and not even knowing, I'm just slapping stuff on plates and hair. Looking back, I'm like, oh, my goodness.
Rip Esselstyn [00:30:14]:
Did you have a helper that was helping you out?
Vegan Vicki [00:30:18]:
I have my sister. So you can imagine the two of us trying to serve about a line of about 150 people. So I learned my lesson, the first veg fest, and started helping because I always be like, well, I don't know if people want to help me, and, oh, it was a big old mess, but it's better now.
Rip Esselstyn [00:30:48]:
You've got a pop up at the Rocket Field house, right?
Vegan Vicki [00:30:55]:
Yes. Rocket mortgage fieldhouse.
Rip Esselstyn [00:30:57]:
For the Calves games. Correct.
Vegan Vicki [00:30:59]:
Yes, for calf games and the monsters. Well, really, all events, if you're in the executive suites, I have an exclusive vegan menu there. First vegan to be at a major sports arena in Cleveland.
Rip Esselstyn [00:31:17]:
Yeah.
Vegan Vicki [00:31:18]:
Yes. And now I'm in the Cleveland market. So we have, like, wraps, different types of wraps and salads. Vegan salads and vegan wraps in the Cleveland market. So if you're watching, if you're in Cleveland, it's section 117 1117.
Rip Esselstyn [00:31:38]:
Is that your favorite number now?
Vegan Vicki [00:31:39]:
It is, but that was just another blessing for me.
Rip Esselstyn [00:31:49]:
And how did that come to pass that you got the invitation to be the first vegan food? I guess. Court in rocket fieldhouse.
Vegan Vicki [00:32:01]:
Yeah. So they call us chef partners. Okay, so crazy story. All my stories are so animated, but we love animated. What happened was there's an event called Taste of Black Cleveland, and it usually happens during Black History Month. And what they do, they have 20 different chefs that they select from a process. They select these chefs, and you go and you try food, and people vote on your food, and you would have the opportunity to be in what they call the launch test kitchen, where you would have different things that people can come and buy. Well, my first year, I was selected, and of course, the only vegan and at the time, this was in 2018, I was the only vegan. And mind you, I had my fried mushrooms and everything, and I'm like and rip when I tell you the people would walk, look, and walk away. I even saw people grab some of my food and instantly go throw it away. And I'm like, well, I don't want to eat vegan. And I'm like it's a mushroom. It's broccoli. Or people say, I've never had anything vegan. I'm like, have you had an apple?
Rip Esselstyn [00:33:20]:
Yeah.
Vegan Vicki [00:33:22]:
And so the next year, they asked me to do it again. They said, Go ahead and fill out the paper. I'm like, I'm not doing that again to get embarrassed. And I think I just was like, okay, whatever. So I did it again, but this time I just went in like, I'm going to have fun. I'm going to give my food. And this time I made cauliflower wings, and I had my mac and cheese, and I put them in, like, little martini glasses, and I called them mac teenies. I had them, and then I had a little cherry tomato on the end with a toothpick. So I was trying to be fancy anything so of course people could vote on who they liked and stuff. And of course I didn't get a lot of votes, which was fine, but I got more than I got the year before, so I was happy. And I thought that those three people were slated to be in the launch test kitchen, and I was just having a good time. I was talking to everybody, and about a week later, I get a call that says that they wanted me to be a part of the launch test kitchen. And I'm like, no, I didn't win. And they're like, no, they loved you and everything. So I was a part of the launch test kitchen. And then just through the relationship with Eramark, who does the rocket mortgage fieldhouse, we just built a relationship where at first I was just in the executive suites and I had a menu there, and I call it Mama Max's. My mom's name was Maxine, so I have Mama Max's peach cobbler. I had cauliflower tacos and just everything. And then the relationship just grew from there, and I got into concessions where we're doing that now. So it's amazing to me, like, really breaking barriers for other vegan that are coming up and starting businesses and things like that. So it's like, wow, I'm the first to do this. This is amazing.
Rip Esselstyn [00:35:34]:
Wow. You still got the mac teenies that you're serving or no?
Vegan Vicki [00:35:39]:
Yeah, you know what? I serve those at, like, events, and I just think it's so cute. So I serve those. I have the little martini glasses, and I just scooped a little mac in there. It's so cute.
Rip Esselstyn [00:35:51]:
It's adorable. Now this is full time for you now, cuisine.
Vegan Vicki [00:35:58]:
Yeah.
Rip Esselstyn [00:35:59]:
And so do you have I would imagine that you have some workers. I can't imagine you could do this all by yourself.
Vegan Vicki [00:36:05]:
You know what? Depending on what I'm doing, I'm going solo.
Rip Esselstyn [00:36:13]:
Wow.
Vegan Vicki [00:36:14]:
And I take my sister, I pay her in T shirts, t shirts, and. Love, but I've been grateful enough to have friends that are like, call me, I will help you. So it's been such a labor of love for some people to help me, and just doing and just working like this.
Rip Esselstyn [00:36:41]:
Wow. So are you doing this out of your home? Do you have a test, a kitchen somewhere? How does that work?
Vegan Vicki [00:36:48]:
Yeah, actually, I work out of two commercial kitchens. A friend of mine, he has a cafe that he has as a commercial kitchen, so I'll use his kitchen, and then we have a shared incubator kitchen space here in Cleveland that I use also.
Rip Esselstyn [00:37:06]:
Nice.
Vegan Vicki [00:37:07]:
So shout out to Central Kitchen Incubator.
Rip Esselstyn [00:37:10]:
Woohoo. Now, you're also a personal chef?
Vegan Vicki [00:37:15]:
Yes.
Rip Esselstyn [00:37:16]:
And you're a personal chef for what? Different people? And if I'm not mistaken, some NFL and NBA players.
Vegan Vicki [00:37:22]:
Yes. I had an opportunity to service well, I have two Browns clients, cleveland Browns players. I've cooked for Chris Paul. I've cooked for Lamar Odom. I've cooked for celebrity hairstylist Derek J. And then I have some other professional clients, business people that I cook for. And it's just, you know, it's so it's so crazy because, you know, people will contact me, and I'm like, now how do I know you? And it's just like, word of mouth. And people will refer me and then refer me to somebody else. And it's crazy because it's like, I send out my documentation, okay, fill out this survey and this and that. And a lot of times if I vet the person and if I have an address, I'm on what is it? Zillow or whatever. And I'm looking, I'm like, you see this house? Oh, my goodness. Right? I love it.
Rip Esselstyn [00:38:33]:
Now, do you still love cooking? Is it like, wow, I got to do all this cooking and prepping? What's your slant on that?
Vegan Vicki [00:38:48]:
You know what cooking? There are some times where I'm like, oh, gosh, I do not feel like doing that. But for the most part, cooking is my therapy. Cooking is like, I will put on my Alexa app and I have certain playlists for certain things, and I'll go to town and I'll cook. And one thing that I love to do, I'm on Food Network, like, 24/7. So I'll watch Food Network and I'll see something, and then I'm thinking, do I have that in the kitchen? And I'll literally go and make it. And then I'll call, I'll just send out a mass text to my friends, and I'm like, hey, I just made something. You want something? They're like, Where are you at? I'm on my way. Because it's like half the time I never eat what I cook. Yeah. And I give it away, and everybody's like, make that again. I like that.
Rip Esselstyn [00:39:53]:
What is something that you've made recently that you got really jazzed and excited about? That was something that was new for you.
Vegan Vicki [00:40:03]:
You know what? I made a what is the name of that it's a new mushroom where I get my mushrooms from a store. Let me shout purple brown store. Let me shout them out. But I get all of my mushrooms from there. But they have this new mushroom I can't even think of.
Rip Esselstyn [00:40:24]:
Is it a rishi? Not the lion's main?
Vegan Vicki [00:40:26]:
No, it's not the lions main, but it looks like it's really weird looking. I don't want to say chantilly no, but it's something like that. I made a risotto with it. And the thing is, the mushroom, it doesn't lose its firmness, so it still has a bite to it. And it was amazing. So I made that risotto. I have to find the mushroom name for it, but I did that and it was amazing. Oh, and I made okra etufe.
Rip Esselstyn [00:41:02]:
Okra. Okay. I got a problem with okra something.
Vegan Vicki [00:41:07]:
It seems slimy, and I did too, but I'm like, let me try this ETF with it. And it was not slimy at all. So it was really good. Yeah, because I'm not a big okra person, but I saw it on TV and I said, oh, I want to make that. Yeah.
Rip Esselstyn [00:41:24]:
Okra. Eggplant. Some of the squashes. Those are like the few things that I got an issue with.
Vegan Vicki [00:41:31]:
Really? Now, I love eggplant.
Rip Esselstyn [00:41:35]:
How would you prepare an eggplant dish for me and win me over to eggplant?
Vegan Vicki [00:41:41]:
You know what I would do? I would actually add the eggplant to, like, a stir fry for you. Then, yeah, I would chop it up, but I would salt it down so the moisture would come out of it.
Rip Esselstyn [00:41:55]:
There you go.
Vegan Vicki [00:41:56]:
And then after that, pat it. And I would probably even just bake it a little bit. And I'm so extra, so I'll go like different steps. I'll probably bake it a little bit just to dry it out and then put it in a stir fry.
Rip Esselstyn [00:42:14]:
All right, I want you to make a sandwich for yourself. It's going to be like, this is your favorite sandwich on the planet. I want you to tell me what would it be?
Vegan Vicki [00:42:31]:
You know what? First, I'd use Ezekiel bread.
Rip Esselstyn [00:42:38]:
Yeah, they really do a nice job. Very healthy hearty, whole grain.
Vegan Vicki [00:42:44]:
I love that. And they're flourless, so I don't feel guilty.
Rip Esselstyn [00:42:50]:
And recently you've gone gluten free, right?
Vegan Vicki [00:42:54]:
Yes, I have. Yeah. Now, I will say this. I did have something with a little gluten in it because I was testing myself, but I didn't feel it as much. But I'm still like, I don't want to test it. The Ezekiel bread, I would get some tempeh and I would marinate it in a maple syrup, almost like a bacony tempeh.
Rip Esselstyn [00:43:28]:
My mouth is starting to drip.
Vegan Vicki [00:43:32]:
Maple syrup, tamari, little liquid smoke. And I'll marinate that. So I have some fried just pan sear it with some avocado. I know people always think I'm weird for this, but I love white beans and just mash those on that with the avocado and the tempeh with some arugula. And I love some oil and vinegar and that's it. Tomato. I got to have tomato on there.
Rip Esselstyn [00:44:16]:
Yeah, you had me everything. I love that. I don't think I need the oil and vinegar, but everything else oh my gosh. Incredible. Now, here is my big question to you. You got the sandwich, it's in front of you. Do you cut it horizontally, diagonally? Or do you just pick it up and eat the whole thing? What are you doing?
Vegan Vicki [00:44:36]:
I got to cut it diagonally. Diagonally?
Rip Esselstyn [00:44:39]:
Why diagonally?
Vegan Vicki [00:44:40]:
I don't know. And I literally just put this about a couple of weeks ago on my post. I said, you got to tell me, do you cut your sandwich in half or diagonally? It's something about the diagonal angle that makes a sandwich taste better. I don't care what it is.
Rip Esselstyn [00:45:02]:
Well, I couldn't agree with you more. And there's something about the diagonal cut it also, to me, the presentation is that you kind of up the presentation a little bit.
Vegan Vicki [00:45:11]:
Yeah. Because then it's like everything, it just looks so pretty and you can see the layers and the columns of each thing that's in there.
Rip Esselstyn [00:45:23]:
It's diagonal and ergonomically it fits in the hand a little bit better.
Vegan Vicki [00:45:27]:
There you go. There you go. Just hold it. You can grab it at any end, right?
Rip Esselstyn [00:45:36]:
Okay, I'm going to fire some questions at you.
Vegan Vicki [00:45:39]:
Let's go.
Rip Esselstyn [00:45:39]:
Now here's another one. So I saw on your Instagram post you make a scrambled egg substitute that looks spectacular. It's one thing that I haven't had in really years and I don't use just eggs or any of these substitutes. But you made something out of chickpea flour. Will you tell everybody about your scrambled egg substitute?
Vegan Vicki [00:46:07]:
Yeah. Okay. Because I used to love just egg, but again, just trying to get away from all of that. I said I love a tofu scramble, but I love the chickpea scramble. So with my chickpea flour, I just add the water. But I love putting smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, some turmeric and and black salt. Yeah, the black salt. Oh my gosh. If you have not had black salt.
Rip Esselstyn [00:46:49]:
It gives it that egginess, doesn't it?
Vegan Vicki [00:46:51]:
Gives it that egginess. And my sister's always like, Is that egg? She's like, you use an old stinky black. But that is a game changer. So I just use that and then I like it to be a little thick, just a little bit. But if you like it watery, whatever, I put it in the pan. But with that too, I'm working on my trying to be oil free. I'm trying to get there. But if I do want it oil free, I will actually literally just put some vegetable broth and then just let it sit for a second until it starts bubbling almost like a pancake. And then I just start to just scramble it, let it sit for a minute. Scramble, let it sit, scramble. And then oh, you're talking about a good time party in your mouth.
Rip Esselstyn [00:47:41]:
I'm making it this weekend, yes. For the kids. I definitely love it now. So you do a lot of cooking. How many hours would you say, on average you're either cooking or you're in your commercial kitchen?
Vegan Vicki [00:47:57]:
Per day or week?
Rip Esselstyn [00:47:59]:
Per day? Per day.
Vegan Vicki [00:48:00]:
Per day. Well, you know what? So if I have a client that I'm cooking for, I'm in the kitchen at least eight to 10 hours a day.
Rip Esselstyn [00:48:13]:
Wow.
Vegan Vicki [00:48:13]:
Yeah, because I have a family that I cook for. So one day a week, I'll literally go to the house, cook the meals for the whole week, pack it up, label it, freeze some of them, refrigerate the rest, and then I'm out of there. So it's about a good it's like a full time job, like eight to 10 hours?
Rip Esselstyn [00:48:37]:
Well, I can't even imagine. And then when you're preparing for a home calves game, is that like a couple of days to get ready for that?
Vegan Vicki [00:48:49]:
Well, no, actually, yeah. I know this is going to sound, I don't know, pompous or whatever, but I don't cook the food. They cook it. I make money off the food.
Rip Esselstyn [00:49:06]:
So they cook it and then they put the Konscious Kuisine on it because they're following all of your maybe your recipes and your tenants.
Vegan Vicki [00:49:14]:
Yeah.
Rip Esselstyn [00:49:15]:
You know what? Good for you. That sounds like you're working smart there.
Vegan Vicki [00:49:18]:
Yeah, absolutely. And I love it. I've gone for taste testings and making sure that it's true to what you know I do and making sure that they're okay. What are you guys using here? Is everything sterile? The one thing about them, they are so receptive to my beliefs and to everything. They literally will clean and if I'm coming there, they will clean an entire kitchen. It's new grease. Nothing has been touched with everything. So they're great up there. They're great.
Rip Esselstyn [00:49:58]:
That sounds like a wonderful partnership. Congratulations.
Vegan Vicki [00:50:01]:
Absolutely.
Rip Esselstyn [00:50:02]:
Now if I'm in Cleveland and I'm like, wow, you know what? I wouldn't mind trying to reach out to Chef Vegan Vicky and getting on the docket. Are you taking clients or not?
Vegan Vicki [00:50:13]:
Absolutely. I'm always taking clients. I'm always taking clients. So just depending on the current contracts that I have, I'll take on new clients all the time, especially if they come with a referral or if they know someone and they're like, oh, I got an email the other day, you came highly recommended. I'm like, all right. Hello.
Rip Esselstyn [00:50:46]:
Now I'm going to get back to that. I got diverted there because I asked you how much time you spend. A lot. My question is, do you have a recommendation as far as, like, cookware, pots, pans, things of that nature that you would recommend for the listener?
Vegan Vicki [00:51:05]:
I do. I am made in cookware maiden. Made in? Yes.
Rip Esselstyn [00:51:13]:
Made in. How do you spell?
Vegan Vicki [00:51:14]:
M-A-D-E-I-N. Yeah. Made in. They are phenomenal. Their cookware is the best. Their knives are amazing. Their cookware. So made in if you're watching.
Rip Esselstyn [00:51:30]:
Yeah. So do you just go online to Made In.com?
Vegan Vicki [00:51:37]:
Yeah, just made in.com.
Rip Esselstyn [00:51:39]:
Right.
Vegan Vicki [00:51:39]:
And they have different packages, so you can get, like, a sous chef package where they have, like, ten pots and things like that. Or if you're just looking for, like, one pan, it's called the blue steel pan, and it's like a pan and a wok all in one, and it's, like, one of my favorite pans. When I'm cooking, I'll take my things with me, and I'm like, don't touch my pan.
Rip Esselstyn [00:52:17]:
Not the blue steel.
Vegan Vicki [00:52:20]:
I got the new lander. He had the look.
Rip Esselstyn [00:52:24]:
Now, is any of their stuff good? Because a lot of my audience were not fans of added oils, and we like to cook oil free.
Vegan Vicki [00:52:34]:
Right.
Rip Esselstyn [00:52:34]:
Does the blue steel is it conducive for people that don't want to use oil?
Vegan Vicki [00:52:39]:
Absolutely. And that's one thing about honestly, one thing about Made In cookware is you don't even have to use oil in any of their pans.
Rip Esselstyn [00:52:50]:
Wow.
Vegan Vicki [00:52:50]:
Yeah.
Rip Esselstyn [00:52:55]:
What about a pancake? Pan? Do they have, like, a skillet?
Vegan Vicki [00:52:58]:
Oh, yeah, they have everything. They have everything. And like I said, you don't have to use oil in it. It's amazing.
Rip Esselstyn [00:53:07]:
Well, I like the sound of all that. Now tell me, because I saw on Instagram that you were in Target and you bought the I am Tabitha Brown collection. Tell me about that.
Vegan Vicki [00:53:18]:
I did. Okay.
Rip Esselstyn [00:53:21]:
Is that pots and pans? What's that?
Vegan Vicki [00:53:23]:
Well, no, you know what? I got some of her food products.
Rip Esselstyn [00:53:26]:
Oh, she got food products?
Vegan Vicki [00:53:28]:
Yeah. But the one thing about it I have a nut allergy, so I am a vegan with a nut allergy that's nutty. So I have to be very careful. So I'm always looking. I have to be careful. I can't have any cashews. I mean, any tree nuts, nuts, anything like that. So I actually got the wild mushroom and polento ravioli, and I had her I think it was a caramelized onion like cream cheese.
Rip Esselstyn [00:54:07]:
Are these frozen dishes? Are these frozen entrees?
Vegan Vicki [00:54:11]:
No, you know what? No, they're just refrigerated. They're not frozen. But I literally took that, and I did a whole reel because I said, well, you know what? I had some mushrooms in the refrigerator. So I said, you know what? I'm going to up the mushroom value. So I sauteed the mushrooms in my blue steel, and I did the onions, and then I used the cream cheese, and I made a sauce and added the mushrooms and did the ravioli over that, and it was delicious. Yeah.
Rip Esselstyn [00:54:48]:
Okay. Do you think she's got some good products?
Vegan Vicki [00:54:54]:
The ones that I had were good. I think the other ones had, like, nuts, so I couldn't eat that.
Rip Esselstyn [00:55:01]:
Got it. Another recipe that I saw on your Instagram site that really caught my attention because my kids are just such tofu lovers. You made a quinoa crusted tofu, like, strip that looked really divine.
Vegan Vicki [00:55:20]:
It was so good. I saw it, and I forgot. I think I forgot whose page I saw it on. Oh, no. It was on food network.
Rip Esselstyn [00:55:29]:
Okay.
Vegan Vicki [00:55:30]:
And they used the quinoa with, like, some salmon or something, and I said, we're not doing that. And I did it on some tofu. And it was so good because, first of all, I love quinoa, period. I love quinoa, period. So I'll even make it for, like, granola. I'll put it in that. But it was so good and very crunchy, and I baked it, I think. Did I bake it? I don't even remember. But it was good.
Rip Esselstyn [00:56:06]:
It looked absolutely delicious.
Vegan Vicki [00:56:07]:
Yeah, it was really good.
Rip Esselstyn [00:56:09]:
You also had this purple sweet potato pie. It was the most brilliant purple I've ever seen. How did you get that purple color? That's not from the sweet potatoes. I can't imagine.
Vegan Vicki [00:56:20]:
Yeah, that was from the sweet potato.
Rip Esselstyn [00:56:23]:
Come on.
Vegan Vicki [00:56:25]:
Honest to goodness.
Rip Esselstyn [00:56:26]:
Come on.
Vegan Vicki [00:56:29]:
It was so brilliant. And I wanted to post after it because when it cooked down, it got, like, a deeper purple.
Rip Esselstyn [00:56:36]:
Oh, yeah.
Vegan Vicki [00:56:37]:
When I was making it, I was like, this is like royalty. It was so I mean and it was like, I got so many DMs. Like, somebody was like, now you put a filter on that. And I'm like, I didn't. I swear I did not. I just sat it on my counter, and I just made it and snapped the picture when I tell you it was so good. I almost don't even want to get, like, regular sweet potatoes. Purple sweet potato was so good because I had been looking for them, and the store, I get my mushrooms, they had some. I said, oh, I want to make a purple. I have this thing where if I see something, I have to make it. I have to make it. And I said, I want to make a purple sweet potato pie. And it was so good. It was delicious.
Rip Esselstyn [00:57:27]:
Well, I can't wait to make that one, too. Yeah, I'll be making the scrambled chickpea breakfast. I'll be making that purple sweet potato pie as well. So, you know, I want to do to round things out today. Yes, vicky, I want to do what you did to me. So when you had me on your dope vegan friends, you had this rapid fire question. I'm going to do the same to you. All right, so let's start. Tell me right now who's your favorite musician and why?
Vegan Vicki [00:58:03]:
My favorite musician and why? You know what? I have so many. Okay, you know what right now has got to be new edition. Yeah, new edition, because they're coming to Cleveland next week, and I'm going to be in the house. So I've just been getting all my steps together.
Rip Esselstyn [00:58:27]:
Good.
Vegan Vicki [00:58:29]:
So I would have to say new addition. Because they are and were my soundtrack growing up.
Rip Esselstyn [00:58:38]:
Love it.
Vegan Vicki [00:58:39]:
Yeah. So just good memories.
Rip Esselstyn [00:58:41]:
I did a post today, and today I'm into Dermot Kennedy. He has a song called Power Over Me.
Vegan Vicki [00:58:47]:
Okay. And I'm sorry, I don't want to interrupt you with your name, but listen, first of all, let's talk about Richard Marks. Oh, my goodness. He was like my crush. When I saw that, I was like, oh, my gosh. And I was listening to it, so yeah, I had to get that out.
Rip Esselstyn [00:59:06]:
Yeah, no, that was a great that was so awesome. Yeah, he was just on the podcast a couple of weeks ago. If you didn't listen to it, listen to it. But Richard Marks, he's got more number one hit singles than any other male musician. It's crazy.
Vegan Vicki [00:59:20]:
He's amazing. And I didn't even know that he wrote for all those people.
Rip Esselstyn [00:59:25]:
I know.
Vegan Vicki [00:59:25]:
I was like, what?
Rip Esselstyn [00:59:27]:
I know.
Vegan Vicki [00:59:27]:
Yeah. So I was so back in my junior high fangirling days.
Rip Esselstyn [00:59:34]:
Do you remember my answer when you asked me this question a couple of weeks ago?
Vegan Vicki [00:59:38]:
Yes. And I went and listened to him. I love Harry.
Rip Esselstyn [00:59:43]:
Okay. There you go. There you go. All right, next is what is a routine vegan Vicky that you do every day without fail?
Vegan Vicki [00:59:55]:
You know what? Cuddle with my dog. Cuddle with my fur baby when she wants to.
Rip Esselstyn [01:00:03]:
Yeah.
Vegan Vicki [01:00:03]:
She's like, I don't want to cuddle right now.
Rip Esselstyn [01:00:06]:
All right, so if we were to ask you if we were able to go in and get access to your Google search, what would we find that you Google more than anything else?
Vegan Vicki [01:00:24]:
You know what? I googled. If I'm watching a movie, I'll go to Wikipedia and read the plot, because if I really love a character, I want to make sure that they don't die in them. So Wikipedia looking up movie plots.
Rip Esselstyn [01:00:48]:
What's the latest movie you've watched that you recommend?
Vegan Vicki [01:00:51]:
You know what I watched? I watched Uncharted on it was, like, on HBO. Max or Hulu, one of those, but it's got Mark Wahlberg in it with.
Rip Esselstyn [01:01:07]:
Is Brad Pitt in that one?
Vegan Vicki [01:01:09]:
No, Brad Pitt wasn't in it, but it's the guy that played Spider Man. Like Tony McGuire.
Rip Esselstyn [01:01:16]:
Tony McGuire? No, not.
Vegan Vicki [01:01:21]:
The English guy.
Rip Esselstyn [01:01:22]:
No, I know exactly you're talking about.
Vegan Vicki [01:01:24]:
I can't think of his name, but I watched Uncharted, and it was pretty good.
Rip Esselstyn [01:01:28]:
Yeah, I do remember that one. So if we were to get one of the top film directors in the world to do a film about your incredible life, Vicky, who would you want to play the part of Vicky?
Vegan Vicki [01:01:51]:
Oh, my God. I've never thought to ask myself, who would I want to get to play me? Oh, my gosh.
Rip Esselstyn [01:02:05]:
I can help you out.
Vegan Vicki [01:02:08]:
Oh, my gosh. I think that's because I love her body of work. I don't know. I would have to say, oh, my God, who would I want to oh, my gosh.
Rip Esselstyn [01:02:30]:
How about we just talked about her? We just talked to her about her about four minutes ago. You potter food.
Vegan Vicki [01:02:36]:
Oh, Tabitha. Heck, yeah. Come on, Tab. Yeah, that would be awesome. Absolutely.
Rip Esselstyn [01:02:45]:
I think so. I think so, too. All right, and here's my last question for you.
Vegan Vicki [01:02:50]:
Okay.
Rip Esselstyn [01:02:51]:
Do you remember what your first Instagram post was? February 19, 2014.
Vegan Vicki [01:02:58]:
Oh, my gosh. I do not.
Rip Esselstyn [01:03:05]:
It was a photo of your meat loaf.
Vegan Vicki [01:03:11]:
Okay.
Rip Esselstyn [01:03:12]:
It was basically a picture of meatloaf, and it was the beginning of your Instagram journey. This is 2004.
Vegan Vicki [01:03:19]:
That is so now I have to go look. I think I was just so pumped. Like, guys, look at my meat loaf.
Rip Esselstyn [01:03:29]:
All right, you know how I want to end this? So today is Thursday. Our episodes always drop on a Thursday. I'd love for you. And this is kind of, I think, a ritual that you have. What are you thankful for this Thursday?
Vegan Vicki [01:03:45]:
Oh, you know what? I am thankful. I'm thankful for life. And I'm thankful for even though the climate that we're in and things people can see certain things going on, I'm still grateful to be able to have the freedom that I do. I'm thankful for my I have so many things to be thankful for.
Rip Esselstyn [01:04:23]:
That's a good thing.
Vegan Vicki [01:04:25]:
Yeah. My family. But most of all, I'm thankful for having an awesome support system. Make me cry. But no, I'm thankful for having an awesome support system because there are a lot of times where I can feel down about what's not happening, that I forget about all the things that have happened and that have been a blessing to me. And my support system always reminds me, take time out to be grateful for what you've done some pretty awesome things, and they put my memory to work. And I'm so grateful for that because it does allow me time to take a deep breath and to realize that you've done some amazing things and for me to, like I said, put my memory to work and just be thankful for my journey.
Rip Esselstyn [01:05:26]:
Yeah. Thank you. You know what? It just hit me, and I want to ask you this question, and then we're going to say goodbye, but that is you remember that woman that you said you met in the grocery store, and she'd been doing it for 40 years? Did you ever stay in touch or get her number or no, I did not.
Vegan Vicki [01:05:46]:
And it's almost like one of those things, because when I thought to do it, I could not find her. And I'm like, Where did she go? And it's like, from time to time, I often think about her, is she still around? Because I'm like the way she was moving around. Baby. She's probably 192 because she looked so good, but I did not. And that's one thing that I regret. Yeah. Like, one of the things I'm like, oh, man, I wish I would have.
Rip Esselstyn [01:06:23]:
Yeah. Well, you know what? I don't regret that we've run into each other. I know friends, and we are like the Cleveland Connection. Koncious Kuisine 117.
Vegan Vicki [01:06:37]:
Yes.
Rip Esselstyn [01:06:39]:
Rocking it.
Vegan Vicki [01:06:40]:
That's right. Yes.
Rip Esselstyn [01:06:43]:
Vicky, thank you so much for coming on the PLANTSTRONG podcast. I look forward to staying in touch. And will you hit me up on the way out? Keep it plan strong, all right?
Vegan Vicki [01:06:55]:
Plan strong, my friend.
Rip Esselstyn [01:06:56]:
Yes, indeed. I hope to see you at Sedona this fall.
Vegan Vicki [01:07:00]:
Yes, I am working on that right now.
Rip Esselstyn [01:07:05]:
You let me help you out, all right?
Vegan Vicki [01:07:07]:
Okay.
Rip Esselstyn [01:07:07]:
Yes, absolutely. You can follow Vegan Vicky on Instagram at Konscious. And that is spelled K-O-N-C-I-O-U. Sine cuisine is spelled K-U-I-S-I-N-E on instagram. And I'll be sure to put a link in the show notes for you as well. If you're ever in Cleveland, make sure to stop by her pop up markets and enjoy that vegan soul food that is made from love and lots of gratitude. Keep it plan strong, my friends, and we'll see you all next week. Thank you for listening to the PlantStrong podcast. You can support the show by taking a quick minute to follow us wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. Leaving us a positive review and sharing the show with your network is another great way to help us reach as many people as possible with the exciting news about plants. Thank you in advance for your support. It means everything. The Plants Drawn podcast team includes Carrie Barrett, Laurie Kortowich, Ami Mackey, Pat Gavin, and Wade Clark. This season is dedicated to all of those courageous truth seekers who weren't afraid to look through the lens with clear vision and hold firm to a higher truth, most notably my parents, Dr. Caldwell B Esselstyn Jr. And Ann Crile Esselstyn. Thanks for listening.
