Meet Adrianna Ruiz | Chef & Owner at Plantiful

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adrianna Ruiz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adrianna, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I had quite a few people come up say to me “I would go vegan if you could cook for me!”.

Veganism for me is rooted in animal liberation. The way we can achieve that goal is through making veganism accessible through pricing points and working together to make food that accommodates allergens. In the past year, veganism has sky rocketed in popularity, which makes the gap for financial accessibility more difficult to achieve, and thus, Plantiful was born!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Plantiful was built on the basis of providing two things: accessibility & convenience. When I prepare meals, I hold the knowledge that when I am cooking I am actively giving time back to my customers to do the things that they love. Motivating yourself to cook can sometimes take a toll, and especially during the pandemic, finding motivation was extremely difficult.

This was also true for me. Business owners don’t talk often about how much work can go into being a one person business. You are engaged with social media. You taste & photograph the food. You cook & deliver the food. The process can be an intensive one, but holding the knowledge of giving back to the community, giving families more time together, providing fresh & healthy options to people who may not have access to it otherwise – makes it all worth it in the end.

I grew up in the restaurant industry, my aunt and uncle are small business owners and own Home Restaurant in Marble Hill. I was able to see the toll that doing this work took on them, but I was also able to see the love for what they do and their passions shining through. I always wanted to grow into something like that, devoting my time to something I am passionate about, and Plantiful has given me that opportunity.

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?
Grocery shopping at Your Dekalb Farmers Market is an experience, I would take anyone new to town there. The produce section there is so vast & continuously keeps me inspired. Buford Highway / Buford Highway farmers market would be a must, too. Sevananda is an important stop too, Atlanta’s only all vegetarian grocery co-op that is Black owned a huge part of Atlanta’s history.

When going out to eat, I prioritize locally owned, BIPOC & intentional businesses.

My Abuela’s Place / La Dolce Madness is a must. As a Puerto Rican raised in Georgia, exploring the cuisine for myself is not something that I always had access to when going out. Thankfully, the team here incorporates delicious flavors from PR & shares them with the community!

The Local Coco is a must – using locally sourced & natural whole food ingredients is very prominent in the flavor of the food here. Their food is all vegan & gluten free and they are located in Auburn market, which is a fun place to walk around and browse!

Lastly, we can’t forget Tassili’s Raw Reality. Located in West End, this Black owned raw vegan establishment has changed the game for what raw vegan food looks like. The Dat Ish wrap will change your life.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Through the pandemic, many efforts to address food insecurity were born – one that really has resonated with me is the Free99 initiative and collective behind it. Seeing the way the community has come together to continue to support this initiative and the work behind setting it up has been inspiring & motivating! Plantiful has an option to donate to the Free99 fridges with each order, which helps to reduce food waste and contribute to the community!

Another person who has served as a mentor to Plantiful’s process and the happiness of my tastebuds is Jamie Dennis from Jamie’s Cookie Dough. Jamie helped me immensely with getting over the intimidating nature of starting a business & helped me navigate the system to do so, and she fed me delicious cookies in the process.

Website: plantifulcreations.com

Instagram: @plantiful.llc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plantifulatl/