Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anthony Howe. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Anthony thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?
The corporate vegan scene is all about profits. It’s a huge problem. 15 years ago fake leather was called “pleather” and you got made fun of for it. Now it’s “vegan leather” and it’s double the price. I charge $10 for a half pound block of hand made vegan cheese, Daiya charges $7. The problem is I’m a guy in San Diego making cheese with a single assistant and they’re a multinational billion dollar company. Does this mean I’m not charging enough? There are “small batch artisan” vegan cheese makers in LA charging $50-70 a pound. No. Vegans are being price gouged. I’m not undercharging, they’re overcharging. They see a niche that they can exploit and they’re exploiting it. Corporate America is all about making a buck, I’m about feeding my community. You shouldn’t have to be wealthy to enjoy a decent vegan meal whether you’re making it yourself or going to a restaurant. And the fact that the government is so heavily subsidizing meat and dairy to make it appear cheap even though it’s actually our tax dollars paying for it doesn’t help. Eating plants shouldn’t be this expensive, and if i have to struggle a bit so I can provide a somewhat affordable option for my local community then so be it.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve been a chef for 16 years, 6 of those as a vegan. I was trained at Le Cordon Blue Pittsburgh campus, one of the best classical French culinary programs in America. I always say there are plenty of vegans that decide to be chefs, but far fewer chefs who decide to be vegan. When I made the big change I thought my career was over. I thought I would have to give up all of the history, technique, culture, and style I had spent a decade learning and perfecting. Then I decided that those things were mine. I learned them and I earned them and I decided to find ways to apply them to my new vegan lifestyle. The goal of Scratch House isn’t to make a “vegan version” of anything. My goal is to keep culinary tradition alive by adapting it to plant based cuisine and create an entirely new branch of the culinary arts. Vegan food can be great on it’s own merits, and it’s time we showed that to the world.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
I originally made my first cheeses while working at Donna Jean, a fully vegan Mediterranean/Italian spot in Bankers Hill where I spent 4 years. When we decided to break Scratch House off as its own concept the deal was I got to keep profits for any cheese I sold in the first year, then I could use that money to build the business. Unfortunately we started up in February of 2020. The lockdowns for Covid started in March. I ended up spending the whole year keeping DJ alive, working 18 hours a day for 6 or 7 days a week, eventually turning our dining room into a grocery store so people could pick up staples like rice, beans, flour, etc. while the real grocery stores were sold out. I think I made about $4,300 in that whole year because I didn’t have time to commit to cheese making. I was lucky enough to score a hallway in my business partner Mitch Wallis’s production kitchen for free because he’s just a generous guy. I worked out of there for a while until I could afford the empty space next door. We broke a hole in the wall to connect the kitchens and I built out the space almost entirely on my own. Luckily I’m a bit of a handyman so I was able to lay my own tile, do a lot of my own electrical work (thanks Kirk!) and got the place generally in shape. It was still pretty much an empty room until Frost came along. Frost Investments is basically a super cool dude named Brian who came into more money than he could have imagined so instead of being selfish he decided to build a team and put it into as many small vegan start ups as possible. The cash they gave me bought a walk in, all of my equipment, (all second hand and repaired of course) and my first round of labels and licenses. They still help me out with anything I need as far as good advice and support, I do my book keeping with them, and it’s generally the most professional, helpful, and absolutely sweet group of people you could ask for. They really care about the little guys and I’ll never stop being grateful. The big lesson here is no matter what the climate is, if you have a solid idea and you’re nice to people you’ll find yourself taken care of.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Honestly I’m a pretty strange dude. I’m a West Virginia hillbilly with face tattoos and chrome teeth. The thing that’s helped build my reputation isn’t just my skills in the kitchen, but my ability to catch people off guard. People see me and make a lot of assumptions (which I knew was going to happen when I got these) but then I throw on a big, shiny grin and start talking cheese. Nobody can resist it because it’s so apparent that I LOVE what I do. I don’t care what the topic is, from math to anime to computer programming or social work, if someone speaks with passion and excitement I’ll listen all day. It’s infectious. So I started doing pop ups to get face time with my community and I just let myself get excited talking about the cheeses, the panini of the week, new projects I’m working on, whatever strikes my fancy in the moment. People start to pick up on and share that excitement and they want to be part of it to see what all my fuss is about. And really, looking as crazy as I do makes me very distinct and memorable so people come up and talk over and over at every event. I love it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.scratchhousevegan.com
- Instagram: @scratchhousesd
Image Credits
@melissamcclure.co @lindsaykphoto_