Dec 02 , 2021
Veganism
Veganism has been the topic of recent discussion among bakers and restauranteurs during the last 3-5 years. In 2019, plant-based alternative product sales were up 30 percent among food distribution companies (Orsbourn & Sandland, 2021), resulting in businesses having to retool and redesign everything from menus to shop decor to meet the demands of a growing number of customers who have embraced a healthier more animal conscious lifestyle and diet. Veganism is "A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms, it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals," according to vegansociety.com. Like so many others, we here at Carasmatic Creations have had to follow suit and find ways to make our baked goods vegan-friendly to meet the needs of our customers.
After having been diagnosed with a wheat allergy some 10 years ago, I had to find ways to make our sweet treats gluten-free, thus all of our baked good items have a gluten-free option. Most recently, in 2019, I participated in a 9-month plant-based lifestyle initiative for African Americans conducted by the University of South Carolina's Department of Public Health. During this time, I learned so much about my body and the impact a plant-based diet had on me and the community in which I live and serve. Needless to say, I have had a lot of starts and stops as I figured out what plant-based foods were either good for me or I just didn't like. I will say that my discoveries helped me to embrace the lifestyle and continually find ways to develop plant-based options within the business. So, I started an Instagram page - carasmaticvegan and then I started to see vegan products pop up in my feed and one of those options was Upfield products. Their products are soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, and cruelty-free. They believe in sustainability and protecting the environment which was very much in line with our philosophy here at Carasmatic Creations, which is why we do not have a storefront, are made-to-order, do not have counter selections, use kraft recycled boxes with environment-friendly ink stamps, and offer shipping and delivery only. Quite naturally, after reading about the company, they sent us samples of their products, that we just loved. We started with our popular chocolate cake and asked our customers who were and were not vegan to try it and they loved it. They had a hard time believing that it was vegan.
We currently offer our vegan chocolate cake and cupcakes and in the coming weeks, we will be adding our lemon and carrot cakes. All vegan cakes will be soy-free and gluten-free. We eventually will try to have them all nut-free as we continue our test kitchens. If you are looking for vegan options that your vegan and non-vegan family and friends will enjoy during the holidays, order one of our vegan cakes and we promise that you won't be disappointed.
Sources:
Orsbourn, Carl & Meredith Sandland. Delivering the Digital Restaurant: Your Roadmap to the Future of Food. Amplify, 2021.
“Definition of Veganism.” The Vegan Society, https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism#:~:text=%22Veganism%20is%20a%20philosophy%20and,benefit%20of%20animals%2C%20humans%20and.
