Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Gara.
Hi Maria, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
A significant diet change happened in 2008 when I questioned my ethics and adopted a vegan lifestyle. Easy access to restaurants and store-bought meals was gone. The heck with the clock, I will find the time! I cheerfully forced myself into my kitchen. I had to improvise and create new versions of old favorites.
There were no “Mock Meats” in 2008, and I am pleased about that. I fear that I might have just gone with them due to convenience. They are tasty but not exactly healthy.
I got creative. Gone was meat as the centerpiece of my dinner plate. Instead, I got super-creative with veggies.
Going vegan resets your tastebuds. Once you beat the addiction to cholesterol and saturated fats, you lose the palate for processed foods.
Last night, dinner was oven-roasted cabbage wedge sprinkled with roasted apple and sweet potatoes in a drizzle of balsamic/mustard/maple syrup, topped with toasted sunflower seeds. Delicious!!! The days of meat and potatoes with a veggie side are a thing of the past.
I have a husband with a bottomless pit for a tummy. He thinks dessert is an appetizer. So my experimentations move to sweets and efforts to make it healthy…or at least healthier…ok, at least organic.
I am pleased that my efforts proved to be yummy. My vegan activist husband was easy to please, but serving these baked delights to my friends would prove to be my true test.
The hubby isn’t fond of chocolate, freak, I know, but it led me to what I call my “This is Bliss” cake. A vanilla cake with cranberries, pecans with a hint of orange, close to, but not quite of a muffin consistency.
That was a home run. My friends, non-vegans, may I add, wanted me to bake this masterpiece for their parties.
Then came similar responses to my fudge, cookies, muffins, and more. Apparently, I have a knack for making vegan desserts that no one knows are free of animal contents.
I filed for a license to sell my creations, and here I am today, telling my story.
To keep it fun, I only do this at a hobby level. I can earn a few dollars to finance my need for more shoes while keeping my man’s sweet tooth in check.
Ahhh, it’s good to be in the kitchen again.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been fairly smooth for me because I choose to do this as a cottage operation which means I pick and choose which markets or festivals I would like to appear at and if someone happens to come across my website and place an order that’s great too.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My background and “real” job is being an entertainer performing magic for private parties and corporate events here in Las Vegas which puts me definitely into a more creative category, I think I’ve taken that creativity into my baking as well. I’m not big on just plain flavors and love mixing different flavors together. So again, I have to bring up my “bliss” cake which is cranberry, orange, and pecans. And every flavor can be tasted in that cake. I also love my rosewater pistachio cupcakes. I don’t believe there are too many all organic/non-GMO bakers in Las Vegas so that’s definitely an advantage for me with those who prefer those options.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The best way to support me is to make it to one of my Pop-Ups and then share my goodies with a non-vegan to show them how delicious cruelty free food can truly be.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.LittleBattyBakery.com
- Instagram: @BattyBakery
- Facebook: @LittleBattyBakery
- Twitter: @BattyBakery
