BIPOC Portraits is a series in which Best of Vegan contributors Val & Mani Latifi of Plant-Based Passport profile one BIPOC vegan creator each week over the course of 16 weeks, to shed light on the unique challenges BIPOCs face in making the decision to embrace veganism. For BIPOCs, the prevailing narrative that veganism is a white-dominated movement can often mean a perceived loss of cultural identity. The hope of this profile series is to make veganism a little less lonely for BIPOCs and to give courage to vegan-curious BIPOCs out there. In the tenth installment of BIPOC Portraits, Lyana Blount of Black Rican Vegan shares her journey to veganism as an African-American Puerto Rican. She also provides a delicious recipe for Sofrito Chickpeas Pastellios.
[The acronym BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color]
Lyana Blount is the owner of the Black Rican Vegan pop-up, based in The Bronx, NYC. Lyana became vegan in 2016. At the time, Lyana was embarking on a holistic journey, and a chat with a vegan friend inspired her to adopt a new approach to eating. Veganism has enabled her to get creative in the kitchen. When she’s not hosting cooking classes or resting recipe content for her TikTok, Lyana enjoys dancing, reading books, and going to art galleries.
Follow Lyana: Website | Instagram | TikTok
When you first went vegan, did you see the vegan community as diverse? Did you see yourself as having a place in the vegan community as a BIPOC?
When I first went vegan, I did not see a big diverse community, especially with Puerto Rican vegan food. It was one of the main reasons I came up with Black Rican Vegan, because I did not see a lot of “me” in the community, and I wanted to contribute to that change.
One of the main reasons I came up with Black Rican Vegan was because I did not see a lot of “me” in the community
Did you have any fears or reservations about going vegan? Did you feel like you might lose part of your cultural identity in your transition to veganism?
I honestly had no fears. I went into it confidently and loved the journey I was embarking on. It was challenging to find places to eat, but it helped me get more creative in the kitchen. My cultural identity plays a big part in the vegan dishes I create today. Every dish has a story behind it, and it is very nostalgic to me.
Did you worry about how your friends and family would react to your decision to go vegan? And how did they react?
I didn’t worry too much about how they felt. My family was confused at first and asked many questions, but they were very supportive. My friends cracked a few jokes (nothing out of the ordinary of our friendship), but they were super supportive as well.
My cultural identity plays a big part in the vegan dishes I create today. Every dish has a story behind it, and it is very nostalgic to me
Did you have challenges finding vegan substitutes to make your cultural dishes? What substitutes did you make?
At first, I was going to Whole Foods and produce markets for all my vegan food. Then when I started to experiment with different fruits and mushrooms, that’s when the challenges began. I use a lot of jackfruit. I was ordering it online because I didn’t know where to find it in my area. Then I learned it is mostly sold in Asian markets.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Black Rican Vegan was a thought in 2016 when I first went vegan. I only thought about it, but in 2020 when the Pandemic began, I was forced to stay home and do something with all my free time. I took that time to get creative and share vegan recipes I made at home with a cultural twist. It became popular very fast and on April 6, 2020, I put out my first menu and haven’t stopped putting out menus ever since. Since then, Black Rican Vegan has done pop-ups in Miami, Los Angeles, and all over NYC. We became a full-blown business and have no plans on stopping.
Article Val and Mani Latifi. Recipe and photos by Lyana Blount of Black Rican Vegan.
