From A Food Truck to Ice Cream

I have always loved food. It took 23 years to realize it was something I wanted to pursue professionally.

I started washing dishes at a large brewery/restaurant in downtown Portland. After a while, it was obvious I was more interested in cooking than scraping food off of plates and I got to start working in the kitchen. That's when it clicked. This is what I wanted to do with my life.

Trouble is, I am vegan, and the restaurant I work at is most certainly not. Many of the techniques I was learning didn't really help when cooking for myself.

So I started buying cook books and working my way through them. Some of it turned out well, a lot of it didn't, but I found my palate expanding and my skills growing. I got excited about everything and anything new and interesting, and when I discovered the food cart scene in Portland I fell in love. Here was a group of people so passionate about their food that they were willing to spend endless hours prepping and then serving their food day after day in cramped trailers and food trucks.

I knew I eventually wanted to be a part of their innumerable ranks, but I also knew I needed to sharpen my skills to make the grade. I have been cooking pretty constantly for the last 3 years, doing a lot of experimenting. Vegan food requires a little bit of extra effort. Most people tend to have pretty serious preconceptions of what vegan food is and what it tastes like, and to prove their ideas correct is a disservice to vegans worldwide.

Being vegan isn't all granola and tofu. In fact, some of the best desserts I have ever had were vegan. But I have yet to find an vegan ice cream that truly satisfied my memories of ice cream made with dairy. So I started doing some research, buying books and searching the web. I found a few recipes that came close, but none that had the rich creaminess I remembered.

Through a lot of experimentation I finally discovered a way to make a vegan frozen dessert truly worthy of being called ice cream. I knew what I had stumbled upon needed to be shared with the world. However, there is a lot of work involved in turning this idea into a fully formed business.

In the meantime, I plan on testing new recipes, turning some of my favorite desserts and ingredients into delicious frozen desserts.

I have a feeling this is going to be a lot of fun.