By the time most pop-ups were gaining steam in Atlanta during the pandemic, Traviel Harrison and Trevor Shury had already been at the pop-up game for two years.
The friends, who met as students at Middle Georgia College, launched Vegan Village (instagram.com/veganvillageatl) in 2018 as a side hustle. Harrison had recently adopted a plant-based diet in a quest for a healthier lifestyle, while Shury had been vegan since 2015 after experiencing health issues.
Harrison and Shury work in logistics; neither has a culinary background. But they started experimenting in the kitchen, making vegan versions of comfort food dishes such as biscuits (they substitute oat milk for cow’s milk and use plant-based butter), cinnamon roll pancakes, and mac and cheese made with cashew milk.
“I was a runner, and I was trying to stay in shape,” said Harrison, a native of Waycross, Georgia. “But I still had high blood pressure and stomach issues. I cut meat cold turkey, and started cooking more meals and getting pretty good at it.”
Shury, who grew up in Queens, New York, and moved to Georgia as a teenager, taught himself to cook in high school.
Credit: Courtesy of Vegan Village
Credit: Courtesy of Vegan Village
They hosted their first pop-up at an event hosted by the Black Vegetarian Society, and have since made appearances at Wadada Healthy Market & Juice Bar in West End and other vegan-focused events.
When developing recipes, Harrison said he takes inspiration from chefs he follows on YouTube, as well as from dishes his mother used to make.
“I took what my Mom used to make,” Harrison said. “I remember her getting out a bowl, flour, putting a whole bunch of seasoning in it and making a wet mix. I took that recipe, veganized it, and it turned out really well.”
Harrison also travels extensively, and takes notes when visiting restaurants in other countries. His Trav’s Famous Lasagna is made with a plant-based bechamel sauce similar to the sauce used in a moussaka he ate in Greece. He’s also working on a version of a waffle-like dish with berry sauce he ate in Peru.
He’s particularly excited about Vegan Village’s version of fried chicken, which is made with mushrooms or cauliflower, depending on ingredient availability. “It’s amazing how much you can do with mushrooms if you cook them right,” Harrison said.
Credit: Courtesy of Vegan Village
Credit: Courtesy of Vegan Village
Before each pop-up, Harrison and Shury present recipe ideas to each other, then whittle down their list to longtime favorites and a few new offerings. A recent addition was a steak and kidney pie filled with oyster mushrooms, kidney beans, carrots, onions and a housemade gravy. Best-sellers include tacos made with walnut “meat” cooked in a slow cooker for 14 hours; jackfruit quesadillas; and shrimp rasta pasta.
Due to their day job responsibilities, the pair are content to keep Village Vegan a pop-up and bring their food to different communities — and maybe change some minds.
“It feels good when you can make something taste good and you defeat the narrative that people say, ‘Oh, vegan food isn’t good, and it doesn’t taste the same,’” Harrison said. “I believe I can make almost anything taste good.”
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