Hello love and welcome back to my space! It’s Friday so that means it’s time for another celebration. Shamelessly Fabulous was born out of my desire to share and celebrate the folks that inspire me, uplift me and add a little sunshine to my day in the hopes that they do the same for you!
Today I am celebrating Ebonie of New Plate Loading. I discovered Ebonie’s Instagram page a few months ago and I haven’t stopped drooling every since! Not too long after I stumbled upon Ebonies page, I caught one of her cooking demonstrations! I could tell that Ebonie had put a lot of time and energy into her set up. I loved the way that her cooking demonstration was informative but down to earth! What inspired me about Ebonie is that she took what we are going through with this pandemic and turned it into a business. She now offers online cooking classes! How amazing is that!
I sat down with Ebonie for a Soulversation and here’s what she had to say:
Tell me about your Instagram handle?
New Plate Loading perfectly represents what my interactive virtual cooking classes do for home cooks always eager to make new dishes. Once home cooks are inside any of my virtual cooking classes, they’ll begin loading the steps needed to cook new and delicious food that can go on their plates, the plates of family members, and the plates of friends, directly into their minds. Home cooks leave my classes being able to efficiently cook a new dish–a dish consisting of Jamaican influenced vegan comfort food.
How long have you been vegan/plant based, and why?
I’ve been vegan since 2015. I took a food production course in college and a couple of the requirements for that course was for the students to watch the documentary ”What The Health” and read ”In Defense Of Food” by Micheal Pollan. Those two sources of knowledge really changed my outlook on food and made me realize that the way animal derived food products get produced doesn’t really align with my values. I started to dive into veganism after that course. I was assisted in my journey by my boyfriend at the time, who I’m now married to. He was already a vegetarian, so he joined me in becoming vegan and helped make my transition easier.
Did you notice any spiritual or emotional changes when you made that change to a plant based diet?
I did because I felt like I didn’t know myself. Especially around the time that I got sick. I’m Jamaican so I was raised around ox tail, jerk chicken so i wasn’t thinking about what I was putting in. So when I got sick I realized what I was doing to myself. My family didn’t know, We were just doing what we do, our families our culture. It brought me to tears because I didn’t know myself. even now I’m still figuring things out. I did learn more about myself which really important to me during that time.
What is one thing you wish you knew before going vegan/plant based?
Before going vegan I wish I knew how much joy I would eventually get from developing recipes and planning menus that are of the Jamaican influenced vegan comfort food variety. If I knew earlier that I would be so passionate about these things, I would have started teaching my recipes to home cooks sooner instead of just starting to teach them this year! My passion for teaching my recipes stem from the passion I have of making them. I feel the urge to share them!
Are there any foods you avoid? Why?
Dairy does not agree with me, therefore I avoid non-vegan cheese! I run from it!
What is one food you cannot live without?
Pizza! My love runs deep for vegan pizza!
Who inspires you?
My grandmother inspires me. She is the reason I know my way around a kitchen. When I was younger, I was always included in her food making process. She also showed me that cooking can be very enjoyable.
What book has made the greatest impact on your life?
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It helped me understand the importance of pursuing what you feel your purpose is.
What are some simple things that bring you joy?
Waking up early in the morning and blasting old school reggae while trying to convince my husband to dance with me!
What are your favorite self-care tips?
Carve out some uninterrupted time for yourself. Work out as often as you can and drinking lots of water.
What is something a lot of people don’t know about you?
I’m artsy. I love decorating things, doing my own nails, crocheting, painting, art directing, drawing, and doing hair.
What is one song that can instantly put you in a good mood?
Umi Says” by Mos Def. I feel like this song has such a powerful message.
What are your best practices for getting through challenging times?
Music! Listening to music helps me get through challenging times. I love it’s ability to take me to a different place entirely!
What are your words to live by, or your motto?
My motto is, ”No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up, and never give up!” This gives me the push to get up and show out! We all encounter bad days, but the goal is to keep going and never giving up!
What are you grateful for?
I’m grateful for my husband. I’m grateful that he’s my partner. The push that I get from him that I didn’t know I needed.
What gives you hope for the future?
I am hoping that things will somewhat go back to normal.
Who do you think would fit into Shamelessly Fabulous Fridays?
I love @selfritual and @theitalkay on Instagram. I think they would fit perfectly into Shamelessly Fabulous Fridays.
Where can we find you? (Blog, Instagram, YouTube ect)
The best way to connect with me is by booking a spot in any of my interactive virtual cooking classes that are available on my website newplateloading.com! I give step-by-step guidance to all who participate in those classes. The home cooks who take the classes enjoy their easygoing nature, and they enjoy having a delicious dish of the Jamaican influenced vegan comfort food variety to eat directly after class! Also, they leave the class having the new ability to efficiently cook the new dish they learned of whenever they want! Additionally, To see awesome photos of the food I cook, Instagram is a great place to connect with me! My handle is @newplateloading!
I had too much fun sharing and celebrating Ebonie today, definitely check out New Plate Loading! I had the pleasure of joining a cooking class hosted by Ebonie and it was AMAZING!!! Thanks so much for stopping by, and until next time, Stay Fabulous!
