#TBT | How It All Vegan?
Admittedly, this post’s title is stolen from a great cookbook by Sarah Kramer, but her story is similar to T.O.F.U.’s in many ways, so why not connect this throwback from the get-go?
Like Sarah, T.O.F.U. really started with a humble, low budget, local cookbook called Veganize Me. Originally printed to raise money for Tumbleweed V, which was the fifth incarnation of a free, all-ages music festival I produced with a group of volunteers in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the cookbook came about due to the presence of some great vegans in my life. At the time, I wasn’t vegan, but it would partially be this project that would lead to me making the choice.
Although the festival didn’t cover its costs through the fundraisers (seriously, being forced to hire off-duty cops for security for the first time in the festival’s history led to expenses increasing drastically), the little cookzine itself sold well. In fact, after selling out the second run, it wasn’t long after that we were working on a new release, Tis the Season to be Vegan.
Similar to Veganize Me, the second publication was well received in a city that wasn’t exactly overflowing with vegan options. Although there were a couple of veg restaurants and some great vegan-friendly stalls at the farmer’s market, it was a long way from the Halifax that now has an annual vegfest, two mainly raw restaurants, a vegan bakery & cafe, and a vegan restaurant offering cooking classes and more!
In some ways, the fact that Halifax’s vegan scene was small, but yet local projects like Let’s Get Baked with Mat and Dave were able to find support, played a big role in encouraging me to think bigger.
Even after I moved out of the city (something I would do numerous times in the years to come), I took this belief with me. So, when the idea to start a magazine came to the forefront, it really didn’t seem that strange.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
If you’re interested, there’s now a digital bundle in the T.O.F.U. store containing both publications, and it’s available in the same pay-what-you-want format as everything else.
Find it here.
