"I'm originally from DC but I moved down from Richmond twenty years ago. My dad is a chef, he's had a restaurant since I was five, so I grew up in the restaurant business."
When did you first decide to become vegan? Why?
"I became vegetarian when I was nine, nobody in my family was vegetarian but I thought it was totally crazy that we were killing and eating all the animals, and luckily my parents were really cool, they really supported me and then I became fully vegan when I was twenty which was sixteen years ago."
What were some of your favorite foods growing up?
"Well it was hard because this was in the early 90s so all I could eat was like pasta, but now it's amazing. But I really always only wanted vegetables, I know vegans now do a lot of fake meat stuff, but I just can't get into that, I just want vegetables."
What does veganism mean to you?
"So I take it a bit further, veganism to me means not having anything at all that has to do with animals, and not just eating. I don't wear leather, I don't rent a car if it has leather seats, nothing like that, I check all my makeup products, there is not a single trace of animals in my life."
"Fresca has been open for five years here, which in restaurant years is quite something."
What was your goals for the restaurant?
"I was really tired of having to go to meat restaurants, I don't eat there anymore, I don't like the smell of meat, I just can't deal with it, so I wanted a safe place for vegans and vegetarians, and know that their server isn't lying to them, there isn't actually chicken stock in the soup, that there's really no meat."
What was the most challenging part about opening Fresca?
"The fact that we don't have meat. A lot of people get really scared, I have to deal with a lot of meat and potatoes people, they walk in and see kale written really big and don't know how they feel about it. It's just convincing people that they can still eat good meals with out meat, showing them that it's still food, and that it's still good."
What is your favorite part about being a restaurant owner?
"My customers here are amazing. They get so excited, like I know that when I go into a vegan restaurant I'm so overwhelmed cause usually you only have one choice, but you can just see them when they come in so excited by all the options."
What are some tips you would give someone wanting to be vegan, but is hesitant?
"Vegan is extreme, I would say, you can't really do it unless you're ready, cause then people feel like they want to cheat, and then they feel like they did cheat which makes them upset with themselves, which makes them feel like they can't do it. But just take it slow, and do your research, take it slow and just do it when you're ready."
What is your favorite vegan recipe on your menu?
"Right now... it changes all the time, but I just put the new burger menu up, and I'm having a really good time creating those. They are really satisfying, with lots of flavor."
How do you maintain a healthy diet on a low budget?
"Cook at home, buy in bulk, know what you're eating, eat as few ingredients as possible but eat your rainbow."What’s the number one question that is asked when you tell people you’re vegan?
"How do you get your protein? But there is protein in almost everything you eat, just because you aren't eating a literal hunk of animal protein, which your body can't even break down all the way... We have vegan body builders who come in and I mess around with them like, "Heyy where do YOU get your protein!" It's really a silly question."
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And that's all from Jenna! Thanks for an awesome interview and some great cookies! (Seriously guys, go to Fresca and try the chocolate chip cookies, they are heaven)
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