Born and raised in Chicago and inspired by her travels across the globe, Shanara is a multi-hyphenate creative—cooking to share her passion for connection and some good ole’ hometown flavor. From losing her mother to illness to becoming an advocate for health, her path to veganism was deeply personal and driven by love.
She was raised with the belief that meat was essential, but now she’s changing the game with her style of veganism. This is real soul flavor that honors her heritage. Specifically, Gramma Gloria. She was Shanara’s chef hero and those memories still fuel her food creativity today.
Round the Way Vegan is not just whipping up delicious meals, but affordable ones. Shanara’s latchkey kid skills gave her the ability to make the most delicious dollar out of 15 cents (long before meal prep was ever a thing).
Today, she intends to show those that had the same beginnings they can live long and fruitful lives. No more bland plant-based food, just round the way food for round the way people. Let’s veganize.
Although Shanara's only formal food experience was from her Mama Dee's Fye Popcorn operation, she is what she calls an accidental foodpreneur. As a proud resident of Fayette County, she was frustrated that she had to drive 60 miles round trip to a 100% vegan restaurant for her birthday.
She channeled this frustration into creating a solution and won second place in the 2023 Startup Fayette Pitch Contest, for pitching Round The Way Vegan as the first vegan restaurant in Fayette County. This is her long term plan. She even went on to be a semifinalist in the Favorite Chef Contest.
“I never thought veganism was in the cards for me. It seemed like a world away from the hearty, comforting foods that I loved as a kid. But, after witnessing the health struggles within my community and then my family, I knew there had to be a better way.
13 years ago, I started this culinary adventure not just for health, but for joy—proving that plant-based doesn’t mean compromising on taste. Then, in 2023, Round the Way Vegan was born.
Now veganism is not new. It’s just been waiting to be rediscovered and celebrated. My goal is to share the rich flavors of plant-based soul food while making you feel right to home. Food be so good, all you hear is smackin’, munchin’ and crunchin’.
If you’re a lifelong vegan or just curious, this community welcomes you with open arms and tasty plates. I look forward to creating for you.”
— Shanara
Did you know that spinach has more protein per calorie than beef? Or that almonds are seeds, not nuts? Round the Way Vegan Kidz was created to make vegan cooking a breeze for children while instilling a love and knowledge for plant-based living.
Hands-on sessions encourage children to explore textures, flavors, and aromas while developing a keen eye for selecting fresh produce. They also learn to read food labels, helping them understand the impact of their food choices on their bodies and the environment.
Encouraged to think outside the box, they’ll learn how to make sustainable swaps and invent new, simple recipes! In schools, home workshops, or even grocery shopping adventures, we’re all about making veganism accessible and enjoyable. So, don your tiny aprons and get into the kitchen with Shanara.
Wanna know who got my vote?
These Seasoned Kettle chips by @aldiusa 😝
Peep the latest of the #SniggedySnackChronicles 💚🌱
#aldifan #aldifanfavorites #aldivegan #snacks #potatochips #roundthewayvegan #plantbased #veganswhoexercise #fayetteville #atlanta #entrepreneurlife #veganfoodie #veganchef #holdmylamb #whymustitoil #veganpopup #ilovevegetables #ilovefruit #fayettecountyga
SIMPLY A SALAD
I got deep in my salad bag when I still had to report in person to the office. I’d hop off the bus at the Ralph’s off Wilshire and Hauser in LA a block over from job before clocking in, hit the produce section and cop the biggest container of mixed greens and a couple avocados, a store brand bag of frozen roasted potatoes, and a bottle of fresh expressions garlic dressing.
Shout out to my colleagues who never said anything to me if they smelled that yummy but strong dressing, coz I’d throw all of it in the salad container and be chomping most of it by day’s end at least three times a week.
This kept me full and economically straight , as well as just appreciating the basics of veggie eating in those early days of my vegan journey.
Today was simple still: same ginormous container of mixed greens, honey mustard dressing , but since I work from home, I fried up some oyster mushrooms.
Seriously, just make dem greens the main event and then balance it out with a carb and protein. And dassit 😉💚🌱
#roundthewayvegan #plantbased #veganswhoexercise #fayetteville #atlanta #entrepreneurlife #veganfoodie #veganchef #holdmylamb #whymustitoil #veganpopup #ilovevegetables #ilovefruit #fayettecountyga
WHATCHU KNOW BOUT #JUJUBES? aka #chinesedates
Throwing back to another treat I discovered on my regular grocery shopping trips in my Korean neighborhood in LA. I learned to boil them and make a different version of sweet tea WITHOUT any sugar or types of sweetener.
So, have you ever tried jujubes or jujube tea? If you see them at HMart or any Asian grocer, cop em and lemme know whatchu think.
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-Jujubes are widely used in alternative medicine to improve sleep quality and brain function
-animal and test-tube studies indicate that it may improve memory and help protect brain cells from damage by nerve-destroying compounds
-Jujube fruit is low in calories but rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
-A 3-ounce (100-gram) serving of raw jujube, or about 3 fruits, provides:
Calories: 79
Protein: 1 gram
Fat: 0 grams
Carbs: 20 grams
Fiber: 10 grams
Vitamin C: 77% of the Daily Value (DV)
Potassium: 5% of the DV
There’s personal pizza pans and then there’s personal mac and cheez pans 😆
The hankering was real yesterday, so I used up the lil bit of vegan cheez slices I had (coz I had not NAN bag of cheese shreds in the crib😁) and made my secret sauce to throw together a lil light werk just for myself.
LISSEN! We ain’t counting no calories this month, okay?
Now, what if I made a big ole pan of this for your holiday event or the pitch contest coming up next week?
Go head and be greedy. I ain’t judging (especially while I smash this whole thing by myself 😜)
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#catering #vegancatering #roundthewayvegan #plantbased #veganswhoexercise #fayetteville #atlanta #entrepreneurlife #veganfoodie #veganchef #holdmylamb #whymustitoil #veganpopup #ilovevegetables #ilovefruit #fayettecountyga
ROUND THE WAY VEGAN GOTCHU ON FEEDING YOUR VEGAN GUESTS, whether it’s for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or your New Years festivities.
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We have the vegan spin on the classics like:
- dressing (from scratch),
-baked mac and cheese,
- greens,
-mashed potatoes and gravy (from scratch),
-cranberry sauce (from scratch),
-peach cobbler.
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But we also have meat alternatives and not so traditional hitters like:
- vegan NOXtails and cabbage,
- lasagna,
- meatloaf,
- black eyed peas, creamy lima beans, creamy red beans and rice, cornbread (from scratch), fried oyster mushrooms.
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Just send a message on the contact form at www.roundthewayvegan.com and we will get you all set up! Coz NO LAME HOLIDAY FOOD FOR VEGANS IN 2024, UNDERSTAND?!
