Meet Abi Cowell | Plant-Based Food Blogger

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abi Cowell, a Plant-Based Food Blogger at Very Veganish and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abi, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I’m fairly comfortable taking risks in business. Playing it safe led me to be stuck in a job for 11 years that didn’t serve my values and goals in life. I’m so grateful I took the leap to start my own business so that I could experience the joy of true work-life balance. There’s certainly been ups and downs, but in the end, the bills always get paid and I’m much happier.

My business was crafted specifically to allow the most flexibility, availability, and location-independence as possible. So, this intentional choice has allowed me to be present for my two sons, husband, extended family, and close friends during happy celebrations and difficult challenges.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Food blogging is a really fun and creative endeavor. There are constant learning opportunities, so I’m never bored.

While I’ve cooked since I was a teenager, sharing professional recipes with others requires a lot of planning, precision, testing, and thought around others’ needs. Recipe development involves lots of time in the kitchen, testing cooking and baking techniques, working with new ingredients, and understanding the types of recipes that my audience needs for their daily lives.

Writing recipes that are clear enough that someone else you’ve never met can execute the dish with success took some time and effort to learn.

Food photography is its own art form. Lighting (natural and artificial), composition, timing, color balance, interest and focus are just some of the nuances I’ve had to learn over the years.

Beyond photography, food videography adds other layers of challenges! For example, getting proper high-quality audio on videos requires the right equipment and editing.

A few of the other artistic and creative tasks that are needed as I work are graphic design, book design, technical writing, creative writing, video editing, teaching, and public speaking.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Here’s a sample springtime Houston, TX itinerary with some of my favorite spots:

Day 1: Breakfast at Snooze AM Eatery (they have tofu scramble!). Visit the Houston Zoo and Hermann Park’s Japanese Garden with a picnic lunch. Then, go for hot tea at The Path of Tea, a Japanese-inspired tea house. Dinner at Oishii Japanese Restaurant in time for their happy hour, the best deal in Houston.

Day 2: Homemade breakfast tacos, then a walk along Buffalo Bayou Park. Lunch at Jinya for vegan ramen, then a restful afternoon with copious glasses of iced tea.

Day 3: Oatmeal breakfast bar at home, then explore the Mahatma Ghandi District, awesome thrift shops and Chinatown. Lunch at Pine Forest Vegetarian Cafe. Pick up some goodies to make an Asian meal at home from H-Mart.

Day 4: Pack a lunch and head to tour NASA and then Galveston for a beach day. Late dinner (takeout?) at Mai’s Vietnamese in Mid-town.

Day 5: Explore either the Houston Museum of Natural Science or the Art Museum, then Memorial Park’s new lake and walking trails. Lunch at Cascabel, a vegan Tex-Mex restaurant.

Day 6: Grab breakfast from Sinfull Vegan. Leisurely day exploring 19th street in the Heights, Heights Blvd, getting coffee at Boomtown or Common Bond. Lunch at Tarka Indian (aloo gobi is really good) and back home to pack up and head to the airport.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Very Veganish would not exist without the support of my amazing family. Taste testers, clean-up crew, tech support, videographers, and the list goes on.

While you don’t see their names or faces as often as mine, I want to acknowledge their hard work, encouragement, and especially the endless dishes they wash. Scott, Wesley, and Gavin: Thank you so much. You mean the world to me. I love you!

Website: https://veryveganish.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/veryveganish

Facebook: https://facebook.com/veryveganish

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@veryveganish