Meet Jasmine Ratliff | Vegetarian Chef

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

Hi Jasmine, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
That’s a tricky question, because I never wanted to start my own business, and Truly Vegan-ish kind of started on accident. The start of Truly Vegan-ish began when I decided to change my diet in hopes of easing some chronic pain; I was diagnosed with lupus, arthritis, costochondritis, along with a few other chronic illnesses. I shared my journey on my personal Instagram and Facebook stories, and then people started asking me to cook for them and/or start a YouTube channel. There’s plenty of money to be made on YouTube, I would always have content, because I have to cook in order to eat, I enjoyed editing my videos, and I refused to go back to an unfulfilling 9-5 job, so starting a YouTube channel was a no brainer.

As time went on, I realized that I only enjoyed editing videos on my own time and didn’t want to do it consistently. At that point, I knew YouTube wasn’t for me, but I still wanted to somehow make money from my vegan-ish journey. My family and friends told me to sell plates, but I didn’t think my food was good enough to sell. One random day, I received a DM, from someone I didn’t know (Heidi Roy) on Instagram asking if I was interested in starting my own plant-based business. We spoke on the phone and she believed in me so much that I started to believe in myself, too.

Not too long after the phone conversation with Heidi, I started gathering info from family and friends on which meals they’d like to try. One of my friends asked when he’d get to try my food, I jokingly asked when he was going to pay me, and that’s when I turned my vegan-ish journey into a business. After starting Truly Vegan-ish, I knew that I wanted to help people heal, grow, and transform into the best version of themselves. I may have started my business on accident, but I continue my business, because I know that I can help so many people transition to a more plant-based diet, which in turn could heal many diseases that they thought would be with them for the rest of their lives.

What should our readers know about your business?
Truly Vegan-ish is about promoting healing through food. We aspire to help people transition to a more plant-based diet, whether it be vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, or somewhere in between. The beauty of Truly Vegan-ish is that we encourage progress, not perfection. We understand that it’s difficult for a lot of people to reduce the amount of animal products and fried, fast, comfort foods they consume, so we provide the vegan/vegetarian alternatives to common meals. If someone consumes meat 3 times a day, 6 days a week and on the 7th day decides to eat one meatless meal, then we celebrate his/her progress! We are a safe space for those who decide to transform their diets and those who are curious about vegan/vegetarianism but are unsure if changing their eating habits is even necessary.

I want the world to know that illness and disease don’t have to control our lives. Of course everyone’s body and journey are different, but positive, dietary changes can contribute to bettering overall health. Transitioning to a vegetarian diet is a huge reason as to why I am here today. I went from being depressed and in pain everyday to being joyful and mostly pain-free! It took approximately 3 years for me to transition to a vegetarian diet and I’m roughly 2 months into my journey to a vegan diet. I mentioned that to say no matter how long your journey takes, I’m proud of you for starting, continuing, messing up and starting back again. Truly Vegan-ish is here to support, encourage, and inspire you along your health journey!

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?
First, I would suggest that they look to see what kind of events are going on in the city. One place that I would highly recommend is Secret Garden Pole Fitness Boutique. Pole classes are a great way to let loose, have fun, and be comfortable in your own skin, while in a safe and encouraging environment. Secret Garden is hands down the best pole studio in Atlanta!

I also suggest going to Slutty Vegan ATL and then make their way to Bar Vegan. I have yet to visit Bar Vegan, but I’ve heard nothing but great reviews!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Where do I start? So many people have supported and encouraged me on this journey, but I want to dedicate my shoutout to my parents, friends, Tracy, Paris T. and Paris W., and cousins, Janieka and Coolie. Firstly, my parents are supportive of everything that I do, even if they don’t understand why I’m doing it. They help me record videos, give their feedback on my food, and they shower me with affirmations, compliments, and reminders of what I am capable of. My parents are even my unofficial taste testers for new meals, my clean up crew, financial advisors, and so much more! Let’s not forget that they even purchase meals from me!

I can’t even put into words how much love and support Tracy, Paris T. and Paris W. have given me! Tracy is a huge reason as to why I even started changing my diet and thought to create a business out of my journey. Because of the love she gives so freely, I was inspired to give that same type of love to my community through my cooking. Tracy, Paris T. and Paris W. constantly reminds me of who I am and that I am more than capable of starting and running my own, successful business. Whenever I need assistance with anything Truly Vegan-ish related, I can count on them to lend a helping hand!

Although Janieka is my cousin, she’s kind of like my mentor, too. Janieka never lets me doubt myself, gives great business advice, and makes me feel like I can conquer the world! As for Coolie, she has to be the most supportive person that I know. She told all of her friends that I was a vegan chef before starting a business was even a thought in my mind; I wasn’t even a vegetarian yet. Both of my cousins continuously pour into me and speak nothing but positivity over my future.

Instagram: instagram.com/trulyveganish

Facebook: facebook.com/trulyveganish