We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gloria Clay. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gloria below.
Gloria, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the decision of whether to donate a percentage of sales to an organization or cause – we’d love to hear the backstory of how you thought through this.
It was never about profits for me. I saw a way to do what I love and donate it. Even if I did have a brick-and-mortar store or a restaurant I would continue to donate food and give a percentage of sales to organizations. That’s profitable enough for me.
Gloria, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I cook and donate vegan meals/desserts to my local community. I have and still provide free meals to my husband job. I have donated meals to the University of SC. I have donated desserts to the local barista, or the local flour milling company, local insurance agency or in the past to my co-workers at Prisma Health Hospital. I donate from the kindness of my heart. I want to spread the word of cruelty-free eating and by cooking and donating it, that’s how I get my word across. I have donated 3 years of my cooking to the local Farm Sanctuary here call Cotton Branch. Being able to give back is such an honor. I have donated to baby showers and weddings. I want to spread my giving to the homeless, less fortunate and our schools. I’m not a chef. I’m a home cook who feels like everyone should have access to more healthier food choices.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
My journey started in 2018 when I entered a vegan mac and Cheeze competition. Prior to 2014 I have already switched my lifestyle over to vegan eating and of course learning along the way. The competition was for surrounding chefs. I’m not a chef, I’m a home cook who just loves to cook. I reached out to the organization that was hosting the competition could Home Cooks compete and she said yes, just as long at the dish was free from animal and animal by products. I sent in my information and became one of the competitors in this competition. All I wanted to do was make a great Mac and Cheeze for other to enjoy. I wasn’t going in to win, I was going in to show people that you don’t have to give up Mac and cheese if you’re going vegan. So one week before the competition I made a Mac and Cheeze. Collard Green Bake. I let my husband who’s not vegan taste it and he said, “Gloria I could eat this everyday “ and I knew then if he liked it, everyone else would. So I entered it into the contest, that was a blind tasting, and won. I was up against Chefs from SC, NC, and GA. At that moment I knew that people weee beginning to brace veganism.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect for me is to be able to cook what I want to cook, when I want to cook without meeting a demanding schedule. I cook and give it away. To be able to do that feels my heart with such gratitude. I’m so grateful to be able to do this. I’m glad people are accepting it. To be able to watch others enjoy what I made from my heart is a feeling like no other. So I want to be able to continue to do that for the community and hopefully to expand to near by cities and communities.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/greens_at_the_chickn_shack?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg==
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gloria-c-074511a2
- Twitter: @veganChefClay