266 - What To Live For with Chef and Influencer Erin Ireland

Episode • Jan 24, 2024 • 1h 3m

Our guest today, Erin Ireland, is a legend in the Vancouver food scene, first as a food reporter and purveyor of good taste and now as the owner of a renowned vegan bakery in East Vancouver.

When she learned about the cruelty and environmental destruction caused by animal agriculture, she dared to convert her successful nonvegan business – To Die For Foods – into the thriving vegan storefront bakery – To Live For Bakery & Café – with a loyal, passionate following. Now, she’s showing the world how amazing plant-based eats can be and why we should all be eating slaughter-free food.

If you’re interested in learning what it’s like to open and operate a vegan bakery or if you just want to bring your plant-based baking skills to the next level, this episode is certainly for you!

“I was probably the fittest girl on my team, not the best volleyball player, but I was really into the weight room. I knew nothing about nutrition, and I thought that eating animal protein would give me– would help grow muscle. One of my biggest memories of that time was never feeling full. Like, I wondered what it would feel like to be full. I was literally a garbage gut. So I would go out with my team, you know, we’d have pre-meals and post-meals, and they nicknamed me the garbage gut because I would eat everybody’s leftovers. Like, if anybody had some leftover pasta or steak or anything, I wanted it. I was always hungry. And I always look back to that, and I wonder if it’s because I just wasn’t eating– I wasn’t getting enough nutrients. I wasn’t eating very many vegetables. I was eating this, often processed meat, and, you know, I didn’t feel good. Flash forward 10 years; it’s been 20 years now, but I feel so satiated most of the time. I’m full after a whole food plant-based meal.” - Erin Ireland

What we discuss in this episode:

- How Erin felt as a college athlete eating a diet high in animal protein.

- Her journey to becoming a food reporter and her transition to highlighting vegan and vegetarian dishes.

- Erin’s eye-opening experiences on a dairy farm.

- Her favorite stories interacting with customers.

- How Erin changed her nonvegan recipes to vegan.

- Baking tips to veganize recipes and Erin’s secrets for delicious treats.

- Her experience opening a vegan brick-and-mortar bakery, and the stellar public response.

Resources:

- Erin’s website: Erin Ireland - https://erinireland.ca/

- Instagram: Erin Ireland (@erinireland) • Instagram photos and videos - https://www.instagram.com/erinireland/

- To Live For Bakery & Café: To Live For - https://tolivefor.ca/