STL Veg Girl Announces the Center for Plant-based Living
In 2011, the same year I founded STL Veg Girl, I had a crazy thought, that someday there should be one place, a building, a center where you could learn about what a plant-based diet is, how and why that might be a good thing in your life and where you can find continual: resources, education, inspiration, motivation and support. In 2017, still no such place existed, so I started saving. In early 2019 the perfect little space opened in downtown Kirkwood (A bustling neighborhood in the middle of St. Louis, MO) and I grabbed it.
The time feels right. I began as a plant-based cooking assistant in 2008 after losing my dad to cancer and then, just 10 short weeks later, I, too, received the diagnosis. I formed Veg Girl in 2011 and since then I have been watching this movement gain speed and strength.
Over the years I have watched many, MANY people reverse their type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and a host of other all too common chronic illnesses we now just dub as accepted symptoms of age. That’s nonsense. I’ve watched people who have been taking fist-full amounts of daily medications for years and by adopting a plant-based diet, they have titrated down to none. Not everyone’s health outcome is the same, but even if you changed up what you put on your plate in exchange for not having to take even half of your daily meds - wouldn’t that be a relief? Think of the side effects you would not have to experience.
This is not just a place to come if you’re ill. I hope you’ll come to learn to help prevent any future malady, to inspire new ideas, to gain kitchen confidence, to support your best friend, to build better relationships with your co-workers, to learn from world renowned physicians and researchers, to share a meal, to connect, to live.
The Center for Plant-based Living is located at 131 West Jefferson Avenue in St. Louis. The expected opening is later this summer. When not in class or prepping for an event, I suspect I’ll be busy recipe testing or planning the next program. Please pop your head in and say hello.
In the meantime, I hope you will visit this blog as I will often update it with pictures and progress.
