Brennah Lambert is Expanding the Vegan Lifestyle at LesbiVeggies
THERE ARE MANY REASONS PEOPLE EAT VEGAN. Some embark on the plant-based lifestyle for ethical reasons, as a statement against animal cruelty and the industrialized food system. Some are following religious dietary restrictions, while others are following their family’s eating habits. But for many, like Brennah Lambert, eating vegan is part of the pursuit for a healthier lifestyle.
Lambert, the 25-year-old owner and chef of LesbiVeggies, the Black-owned, LGBTQ+ friendly, all-vegan restaurant in Audubon, New Jersey, started eating vegan five years ago while studying business at Rutgers University in Camden. Growing up, she never put too much thought into what she was eating, but when she started experiencing consistent severe stomach issues and doctors didn’t have an answer for her, she knew she needed to make a change.
“I was getting stressed out about it, and I didn’t really know what else to do,” says Lambert. “So, I took it into my own hands. I did some research and I found that—surprise, surprise—eating healthier could help me a little bit.” Lambert’s family wasn’t vegan or vegetarian, so when she wanted to change the way she was eating, she had to teach herself. She relied on social media and recipes she found on the internet, testing out the new dishes she was making on herself and her mother. Her journey started off with a simple smoothie made every day before going to class. Lambert’s daily ritual smoothie was a creamy, sweet blend of bananas, wild blueberries, honey and spinach. “The whole routine shift helped me a lot,” says Lambert. “I was feeling better and had more energy.”
According to Lambert, learning how to eat and cook vegan made her see food very differently. “The big transition for me was that it made me conscious of what I was eating,” says Lambert. Learning to cook vegan opened her up to new ways of preparing fruits, vegetables and grains as main courses instead of just sides.
Owner and chef of LesbiVeggies, Brennah Lambert
“There’s two components to food. It’s obviously the food itself, but it’s also about the experience of where you’re eating it, how you feel while you’re eating it and who you’re surrounded by.”
There’s a wide spectrum of how plant-based foods can be prepared, all of which are delightful and satiating in their own ways. On one end are dishes that use vegan ingredients to mimic the flavor and texture of animal products. On the other end, fruits and vegetables are transformed in ways that expand how we think plant-based products can be enjoyed. Lambert dove into plant-based cooking head first, exploring the entire spectrum while developing her own style and flavors.
She learned how to create impossibly creamy cheeses out of nuts, how to make a bitter and briny jackfruit taste and feel exactly like pulled pork and how to make fluffy scrambled “eggs” with tofu. These are just some of her favorite dishes that eventually made their way onto LesbiVeggie’s menu. “Going vegan opens up your mind to different perspectives,” says Lambert.
Lambert was always eager to share what she was learning about vegan eating with others through her cooking. Not long into her vegan journey, a family member asked for her help in creating a healthier diet. She started cooking for them, and once word got out about the healthy, hearty, vegetable-forward meals she was making, more people asked her to cook for them as well. Lambert decided to start a meal prep service to keep up with the demand; thus, LesbiVeggies was born.
It would still be three years before LesbiVeggies evolved into the brick and mortar restaurant, which opened in February 2021. “The meal prep service was created because I found an enjoyment for food and healthy eating, but I wanted to combine that with an experience for people, you know, coming into a physical place,” says Lambert. “There’s two components to food. It’s obviously the food itself, but it’s also about the experience of where you’re eating it, how you feel while you’re eating it and who you’re surrounded by. The delivery meal prep service was missing that part.”
LesbiVeggies is an excellent addition to the burgeoning Audubon’s Merchant Street, the small town’s charming main street lined with local businesses. Sun floods the restaurant’s modern interior through large windows, illuminating artwork that celebrates Black women and nature, including a line from the song “Tell Him,” by Lauryn Hill: “Let me be patient, let me be kind. Make me unselfish, without being blind. I may have faith to make mountains fall, but if I lack love then I am nothin’ at all.” The quote, Lambert says, is a reference to positivity and love surrounded by Black representation. “Lauryn to me is a symbol of thought, empowerment and a feminine influence which I wanted to include in the café,” says Lambert.
For decades, the representation of the vegan lifestyle has been overwhelmingly White. Despite Black and Brown cultures from around the globe engaging in vegan eating for centuries, social media, food publications and vegan cookbooks have been spaces dominated by White voices—sometimes ones appropriating Black culture to sell their brand.
For example, the popular blog Thug Kitchen gained a lot of attention for using Black vernacular in its descriptions of vegan eating when it launched in 2012. People assumed the author was Black. However, in 2014, right before publishing their first cookbook, Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a F*ck, it came out that the site was run by two White writers, Matt Holloway and Michelle Davis. Despite the backlash for digital blackface, Thug Kitchen went on to publish two more cookbooks before finally changing the company’s name to Bad Manners in 2020 as a result of the criticism.
“It’s common to see Black communities left out of the conversation or movement of eating better. I’m here to be an example of ‘hey—this is for you, too.’ We deserve that representation and support equally as much,” says Lambert, adding that she takes pride in stepping forward to be part of the movement. Despite the lack of diverse voices in the vegan community, Black Americans are the fastest-growing segment eating more plant-based food. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, Black Americans are almost three times as likely to be vegan or vegetarian compared to other groups.
“It’s common to see Black communities left out of the conversation or movement of eating better. I’m here to be an example of ‘hey— this is for you, too.’”
There are a variety of reasons more Black Americans are going vegan, but for many, like Lambert, it’s for a healthier lifestyle. According to the American Heart Association, eating less meat or eating a completely plant-based diet reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, health conditions that the CDC says Black Americans suffer from more often than White Americans.
When LesbiVeggies’ café opened, it was an instant hit. In just one short year, Lambert’s culinary creativity has gained a lot of attention, not just from the media, but also from the community who, despite the café opening in the middle of a global pandemic, have come out to enjoy Lambert’s creative vegan dishes. She says she wasn’t expecting her restaurant to be this big of a success and has been overwhelmed by the positive response that she’s received since opening.
But nothing brings her more joy than knowing that she’s making plant-based eating accessible for everyone. “It really is all about inclusivity,” says Lambert. “It’s all about removing those barriers and removing those prior judgements and just coming to the café and enjoying yourself.”
LESBIVEGGIES
112 W. Merchant St,. Audubon, NJ
856.323.8458
LesbiVeggies.com
