Interview Series: Allison Rivers Samson

Allison Rivers Samson opened Allison’s Cookies, the first online vegan bakery, in 1997. As the years went on, she added more delicious cruelty-free creations such as vegan brownies, vegan caramels, vegan toffee, artisan vegan chocolates to her offerings, and Allison’s Cookies grew into Allison’s Gourmet. Since 2008 she has also been the author of the well-loved vegan comfort food column, “Veganize It!” in VegNews Magazine, which won “Favorite Column” for 2011 and 2012 in VegNews’ popular Veggie Awards reader’s poll. Allison is also a health coach and a Nia Black Belt instructor, making her one busy woman! It must be all of the vegan food that gives her so much energy!

Allison also recently wrote the cookbook Comfortably Yum, and she has a special promo Chic Vegan readers! Purchase Comfortably Yum online here: http://www.allisonsgourmet.com/vegan-cookbook/comfortably-yum-vegan-e-cookbook.html and enter the code CHICVGN at checkout for $3 off. Promotion ends November 13, 2014.

 

Chic Vegan – What motivated you to become vegan? Was it an overnight switch or more gradual shift?
Allison Rivers Samson – My initial motivation came from watching my family of origin suffer from ill-health and realizing that I wanted to make a different choice. At first, I went vegetarian in 1989 and over time, by 1997 chose a vegan diet and ultimately a vegan lifestyle. So first it was for selfish reasons–my health, then it became about compassion for others and stepping into the ethical realm for the animals, and now it’s for EVERY reason. It was a process and now, 18 years later, being vegan is the most natural and efficient way that I can live in alignment with all of my values through this one act that I choose every day throughout the day.

 

CV  – When people learn that you are vegan, what is the #1 question they ask and what is your response?
ARS – The instant question that arises when someone learns that I’m vegan is, “Why?” Being easy to answer makes it one of my favorites. For me, living a vegan lifestyle is the easiest and most effective way for me to live in alignment with my all of values, compassion, kindness, optimal health, and positive environmental impact with one guiding principle. Thankfully, I get countless opportunities to make these choices all throughout my day. It’s my mantra of Lovingkindness in action.

 

CV  – Tell me a little bit about your new cookbook Comfortably Yum and what inspired you to write it.
ARS – After years of sharing my vegan sweets through Allison’s Gourmet, friends who’d been dinner guests kept urging me to let the world know about my savory side. I responded in 2008 by creating what became an award-winning magazine column called, “Veganize It!” which focused on vegan comfort foods. Comfortably Yum is an extension of that work.

In Comfortably Yum, I broke with the tradition of numerous recipes within a book, instead selecting and perfecting 10 very special recipes that are in regular rotation in our own family kitchen. Why did I choose 10? It feels like a manageable number and I’m hoping there’s a good chance that readers will actually make every one of them. There’s no need to sift through and make guesses about which to start with since there are only 10. Readers can feel confident knowing that every recipe has been tested numerous times by people with varying degrees of cooking experience, so they are doable even for a novice. Each recipe is made with whole-food plant-based ingredients and all are naturally gluten-free or can easily be made without gluten and the only sweetener used is coconut sugar.

Recipes include:

 

CV  – Your company Allison’s Gourmet has been in business since 1997. What motivated you to start an online vegan bakery?
ARS – Entrepreneurialism is in my blood, passed down from both my dad and his brother so being a visionary and pioneer comes naturally to me. This sometimes makes my life more difficult without the benefit of looking to others for a template. As I was training to be a private chef, it quickly became apparent that I had a burning passion for sweets. I started my business by creating birthday cakes for people in the Seattle-area and vegan desserts for a restaurant. At the time, I lived on Vashon Island (accessible only by ferry) and the deliveries ate up a lot of time and profits. Rewind to 1987, when at age 17 I took over and then bought my first business–a mail order chocolate company! I fell in love with the mail order model and even though my ethics quickly outgrew the products, I maintained my appreciation for mail order. Everything came together 10 years later when I opened my own company with products of my creation and decided that the post office would be my distributor to homes all over the US.

 

CV  – The first vegan baked treats I had in the early 2000s were pretty dry and not very tasty. Then I ordered brownies from you and was amazed at how delicious there were! Did you find vegan baking challenging in the early days of Allison’s Gourmet? Was it difficult to bake without eggs and butter in the beginning?
ARS – I’m thrilled that you enjoy our brownies! They were actually one of my trickiest baking challenges, taking four years to perfect. I wanted true brownies, which I define as chewy. To me, cakey brownies are cake, not brownies. A traditional recipe contains four eggs and two sticks of butter, which is a lot to replace! The measurements were as small as 1/16 teaspoon of various ingredients in the testing phase. I was amazed that a small amount could make such a great difference.

 

CV  – Do you have any favorites treats from Allison’s Gourmet?
ARS – Every goodie we offer was born out of a personal craving desire. 😉 Honestly, I love all of our goodies and what I reach for changes with my mood. Some days I’m obsessed with caramel, another chocolate bark, then it might be cookies, a pecan brownie, or perhaps a square of fudge. AG drinking chocolate is out of this world and our salted chocolate brittle is fun and unique. See what I mean? I truly do love everything!

 

CV  – What advice would you give to aspiring vegan bakers?
ARS – Play in the kitchen and take notes so that you know what works and what doesn’t. As with my brownies, a difference of 1/16 teaspoon can have grand effects and it’s good to keep track of where you’ve been.

 

CV  – What’s your favorite meal or favorite type of food?
ARS – Variety is my favorite food! My top three cuisines are Japanese, Italian, and Mexican. My meals tend to center around legumes and vegetables. Homemade pressure-cooked beans rock my world. We eat them every day.

 

 

CV  – What vegan product could you not live without?
ARS – I don’t buy much in the way of processed foods, so it would have to be an ingredient: coconut butter! I make most other things from scratch.

 

CV  – In your wildest dreams what will your life look like in 5 years?
ARS – I’ve recently begun several new projects, including how-to videos and taking on coaching clients. There are some other things in the works that I can’t yet discuss. Career-wise, I’ll give online health and wellness training programs, more speaking engagements, in-person renewal retreats that invite self-nurturing and offer education, luscious food, yoga, and play through Nia, a holistic movement form I practice and teach as a Black Belt instructor. I will also be sharing the JOY of deliciously healthy food with kids through in-classroom cooking demonstrations, getting young ones excited about veggies.

 

Don’t’ forget about Allison’s Comfortably Yum promo! Purchase Comfortably Yum online and enter the code CHICVGN at checkout for $3 off. Promotion ends November 13, 2014.