The year was 1977, and a freshly slaughtered rabbit becoming that evening’s dinner, instantly turned me into a vegetarian at the age of seven. My parents humoured me at first, thinking it was a phase, but I stuck with it, and eventually had to learn to fend for myself in the kitchen. This early exposure to the kitchen led to a love of cooking and baking, and after a short career in health care, I decided to pursue my true passion at pastry school. I worked in traditional pastry kitchens for a few years until transitioning to a vegan lifestyle in 2002. Not wanting to work with animal ingredients, but not wanting to leave the kitchen and finding no vegan bakeries to work for, I decided to create a line of vegan desserts, and Sweets from the Earth was born. SFTE currently makes delicious vegan desserts in two kosher facilities – one nut free and the other gluten free, and our products are now available across Canada. Twelve years later, I still get to spend my days doing something I love, making a product that’s rooted in kindness to animals and the planet, and I feel so grateful for, and motivated by, all the support we’ve received over the years.
Yoso is a great company, run by great people and I’m thrilled to be a part of their community. They truly care about their customers and keep them happy by continually innovating, and improving on what they already have.
We asked Ilana a few questions about her dairy-free lifestyle as part of this series, Living Dairy Free:
Why are you dairy-free?
There are so many reasons to stay away from dairy, but for me, the number one reason is simply because I love animals, and the dairy industry is just so cruel. I can’t support an industry where babies are torn away from their mother’s right after birth for the sake of their milk. Added bonus – I used to have a lot of joint pain, and when I stopped eating dairy, the pain completely disappeared.
Top five favourite dairy-free products?
- Yoso vanilla coconut yogurt
- Daiya cheese
- Coconut Bliss Mint Galactica
- Silk soy creamer
- Doug McNish’s Mac ‘n Cheese
I didn’t want to take up one of the five spots with my own products, and wanted to support others in the dairy-free community, but I take great pride in my vegan baking and hope it makes many others top lists!
Favourite local spot to eat that accommodates dairy-free?
So many great vegan restaurants out there, but my go-to is always Fresh.
Favourite place to shop for groceries?
Ambrosia if I’m north, Big Carrot if I’m east and Noah’s if I’m anywhere central!
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