From the haunted cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta to the rollicking streets of New Orleans and bayous of Louisiana, my first 18 years were a study in the history, culture and of course food of these places. Jackson Mississippi is where I was born and from birth unschooled in every sense of the word, never stepping foot inside a schoolhouse. It was this free spirited nature that also led my parents to raise us vegan/vegetarian in the heart of the meat centric south.

 

Needless to say growing up in Mississippi presents a myriad of challenges but delicious plant based meals were always in abundance at our house. My earliest food memories are tubs of miso from the one and only co op; and simmering pots of seitan. If we are what we eat then i am seitan! My forays into the practical and versatile uses of seitan began when i was just a kid.

 

Without the constraints of tests and homework I was free to pursue whatever interested me at the moment. My days mostly revolved around a stack of science books, hanging moss, cicadas, lightning bugs, and food! The years of independent study paid off and I was welcomed into the class of 2017 at Brown University. It was here that I delved into one of my lifelong obsessions; Environmental Studies. After gaining a clear understanding of how our planet’s biosystems function, it became abundantly obvious that our society’s level of resource consumption to be wildly unsustainable. Enter Dirty Lettuce, a vegan food business with the goal to appeal to everyone, especially carnivores! Plant based food should tantalize the senses and deliver the most satisfying experience possible.