Welcome to the first post of my first official PBE blog! We would like to use this space to share all things plant-based from recipes to ways of being eco-friendly.
Where it all started
The love for clean wholesome food has made us passionate about helping others become more healthy inside and healthy outside. I’m Kay Brown, from Columbia SC, but call Hampton VA my home.
As you may have guessed, I love all things plant-based when it comes to food and cooking. I just started this blog, but my love for cooking started much earlier than this.
Growing up, I was always in the kitchen with my grandparents learning how to cook. I owe a lot to my grandparents for igniting my passion for cooking. They cooked so many traditional Southern style dishes with fresh home-grown vegetables. I was always allowed to help out in the kitchen. It was such a great learning experience and looking back I am grateful for what I was taught because it helped me build a positive relationship with food.
However, when I was 14 years old, I lost my grandfather to a massive heart attack and realized that lifestyle and food played a huge part in his death. I began to look at food differently. I wanted to be healthier and use food for good. For years I tried I tried a number of diets and it wasn’t until 2010 that I decided to become vegan.
I was an active duty Marine, eight years in, and decided that food was the way to really boost my performance. I was changing my career from enlisted to officer and knew that I needed to be physically ready to take on my new role as an officer of Marines. I was a powerhouse being fueled off of greens and plant-based foods. The feeling was incredible. I was in the best shape of my life and for the first time (in my adult life) I felt ALIVE. So I took it and ran with it (literally). This decision turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made.
I started a fitness company in 2014 with an emphasis on nutrition. I began to really experiment with food and my passion grew! After a few months of creating meals and training clients, I began to upload my food and fitnesspictures on Instagram. I started growing followers and I was getting feedback for workouts, recipes, and deliveries. Business was great!
I transitioned out of the Marine Corps in 2015. Business was growing in fitness, but the food piece took a serious pivot. My clients were more interested in meal preparation plans and doing in-home cooking lessons. I hadn’t thought about culinary training until my demand for food was high. I attended the Rouxbe Culinary program and received my certificate in professional plant-based cooking. Now, it was a matter of capturing my food and delivering the mouth watering flavors to my clients.
In 2017, the company became Plant-Based Eatz™. Ever since I uploaded the first food picture, I’ve been motivated to create more healthy, nutritious, and delicious dishes! That’s what brings me to this blog. I want to share recipes and dishes with all of you. The call-to-action from you all has been huge! I couldn’t be more thankful for all of the love and support.
I am looking forward to updating and capturing food moments with you on this journey. Thanks for reading!
Kay 🍉
