The spotlight will be on women-owned businesses as well as plant-based eating at the upcoming Plant Powered Kids Festival, on Sunday, February 2, in Brooklyn.
One of the 30 curated vendors on hand will be Yesenia Ramdass, the owner/founder of Healthy As A Motha. Her mission is to elevate Caribbean cuisine through a plant-based lens. Thus she’s cooking Chimichurri Chunk Steaks, Jerk Tamarind Oyster Mushroom burgers, plantain boats, and mofongo, amongst other category-bursting delights. But how does she have time for all that cooking plus parenting three little ones?
“Balancing both roles is incredibly challenging, and it’s honestly the hardest part of it all,” she said. “The reality is that it’s impossible to be fully present for every single moment at home while also staying on top of everything at the restaurant. It truly takes a village, and my support system at home is my foundation. My husband and my in-laws are the glue that hold it all together for me.”
Those sentiments are echoed by another PPK Festival vendor: Jill Weissman of Beyond the Bib. The company offers veggie-packed sauces and dips formulated especially with kids in mind.
Her strategy for the balancing act? “It takes a lot of planning, flexibility, and the occasional deep breath when things don’t go as expected,” she said. “I rely on early mornings and late nights to work when my kids are asleep and try to keep my head above water during the day! But truthfully, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My kids are my inspiration.”
Kimberle Lau, the founder and chief baker for Bake Me Healthy, breaks down the “mompreneur” juggling routine into a mathematical formula. “I approach it with an 80/20 rule,” she said. “On the weekdays, I work 80% of the time and spend 20% with my family. On the weekends it flips. There are exceptions when I have weekend events, but I generally try to stick to this rule.”
If Lau were not a mother, she might not even be in business. Thirteen years ago, she realized she had become lactose- and egg-intolerant after her pregnancy. She adapted her cooking and baking to accommodate dietary restrictions, which led to the founding of her allergen-free vegan baking mix company.
Secret Vegan Kitchen founder Tiffany Gordon also owes the inception of her business to its intersection with her personal life. She said, “as a long-time vegan and chef, during the early days of the pandemic I started recreating some of my husband’s and my favorite vegan restaurant meals for family and friends. Soon we started getting orders every week. I realized there was a need locally for plant-based comfort food classics.”
Kathryn Yaphe is another PPK Festival vendor who discerned an unmet need and began to fill it. She’s the co-founder of Beanstory which offers organic dried beans, including the unusual black-and-white Calypso bean and the Old Indian Woman bean from the central coast of California.
Yaphe said she was empowered to begin her business with the idea of deepening connections to the sources of our food. “Every day we get to vote with our forks. Food is the most accessible vehicle we have available to us, as individuals, to create change,” she said. “I wanted to start a brand that directly supported farmers that are growing food in a way that’s better for us and the planet.”
As an entrepreneur, she appreciates the flexibility she has to schedule work around spending time with her children. However, the trade-off is that she often has to work on nights and weekends. “It’s not always easy, but it does balance out – it’s worth it for me,“ she said.
Another female powerhouse to be featured at the Festival is Alex Caspero, dietitian and co-owner of Plant-Based Juniors. She spoke about the challenge of being both a business owner and a busy parent:
“I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a struggle some days. To reduce feeling pulled in too many directions, we're very intentional about the time and commitment we can give to projects. As much as possible, we also try to stay focused on what we're doing at that moment. When it's work time, I'm working and when I'm with my kids, I don't have my phone and I don't check my email.,” Caspero said.
In this case, though, she and her co-owner Whitney English can involve their children in the business itself because it is designed to make plant-based food fun and accessible to the younger set. “We're very lucky that we get to involve our kids in many of our projects,” she said. “They are the reason we started Plant-Based Juniors and the inspiration for many of our continued projects. For example, when we published our bestselling cookbook, The Plant-Based Baby and Toddler, our kids were our recipe testers and helped us film content to support that venture.”
Danielle Medina of Fit N Play Mama is also in the enviable position of being able to combine parenting with her business. She runs a “Cook N Play” summer camp, provides coaching for educational institutions, and caters for family celebrations. All while homeschooling her 9-year-old!
“It’s all about working out a schedule that helps me be more intentional with my time,” Medina said. “Having a clear and flexible schedule helps us to follow through with our work. We do our best to stay on track but sometimes you have to give yourself grace on the days when the demands are high. I also believe in starting the day early and completing your tasks early so that you have time to have fun and play. Go outside for a walk, read or listen to music and dance to release any stress out of your body and mind.”
The originator of the Plant Powered Kids Festival, Sarah Feoli, is herself an entrepreneur and a mother of two young children. Her past ventures have included founding a vegan chocolate company whose profits were donated to animal rescue organizations, and helping to coordinate vegetarian food festivals around the country. Merging her interest in vegan food with healthful child-rearing was a natural next step for her.
“I know we’re all interested in good health for ourselves, our families, and our environment,” she said. “I wanted to funnel those good intentions into a concrete event with an emphasis on energy and fun and education and a humane outlook. Plus, what are you going to do with the kids on a cold Sunday in February?! The idea for this festival just came together.”
In addition to the animal-friendly vendor hall, the Festival will feature expert-led workshops and cooking classes, yoga, environmentally conscious arts and crafts, a book nook and book giveaway, some rescued animal friends, and mingling moments for all ages.
A special mainstage finale will showcase Jumpin' Jamie who will entertain with music, puppets and magic. Jamie specializes in “kindie rock” and has regaled thousands of young fans at live stadium concerts around the country. He has also appeared on Sesame Street and other PBS programs.
The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in a light-filled space in Industry City. General admission is $10 for singles and $20 for the entire family. A $25 Golden Ticket entitles holders to enter one hour before the general public, receive a plant-powered goodie bag, and enjoy priority access to all panels and classes.
For further information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.ppkids.org.