Today we’d like to introduce you to Vegan Chef Gueli.
Vegan Chef, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up in Ethiopia, I would always find myself in the kitchen, taking in the aromas and watching in awe as the women prepared meals. Cooking has always been my passion, but I didn’t realize that I could turn my passion into a career until my son was born with severe food allergies. That’s when I decided to quit my 9-5 and become a stay-at-home mom.
When I went out to eat, plant-based options in non-vegan restaurants were very limited. I would find myself not being able to eat much because the menus contained foods that were either cooked in butter, soy, or oil tainted with animal by-products. Since I have always enjoyed cooking, I would constantly have friends and family over for an all-vegan dinner parties. Eventually, my friends encouraged me to turn my passion into a career, and here I am!
On top of my personal chef services, my family & I recently started a vegan food truck called Vegetopia.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When you’re working for yourself, it takes a lot of patience, faith and time management skills. Having been a stay-at-home mom for nearly eight years, learning to balance being a working mom & wife while being gone most days to work on the food truck, is a new challenge. Often times, I have mom-guilt; but the tremendous support of my husband and the rest of our families, keeps me going.
what should we know about Vegetopia Cart? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As a personal chef, I help my clients transition into a plant-based lifestyle, by showing them how to make easy vegan meals at home or help them cook for a special event they may be hosting. On the food truck, we focus on creating plant-based meals that encompass southern/comfort foods with Ethiopian flavors.
When I first embraced the vegan lifestyles over ten years ago, I ate a very strict alkaline diet. I never had processed meat alternatives. Although I am not totally against meat substitutes (I think they serve their purpose), I personally prefer using an array of vegetables and different types of mushrooms to recreate familiar foods and similar textures to meat/fish. Although it is a lot of work, we proudly put endless hours of preparation in the kitchen to show our food truck customers that mushrooms & cauliflower, when seasoned and cooked the right way, can have amazing familiar taste & texture.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Follow your heart. If you have a passion, don’t shut it off because you feel the need to go get a random, well-paying job. If you allow your passion to guide you, you will find your calling; and that’s a better blessing than working in an environment where you feel you don’t belong. It is not smooth sailing, but it will all be worth it at the end!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.veganchefgueli.com
- Phone: 404-638-8293
- Email: info@veganchefgueli.com
- Instagram: veganchefgueli
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