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This is the story of a Vegan Girl Raised In The South (V-GRITS). Kristina Addington stems from a long line of folks born and bred in the hollers of Appalachia so one can imagine the reaction when she announced to her family that she was going vegan. Worries over her imminent malnutrition and sacrifice overwhelmed her loved ones while Kristina, a vegan newbie, had no idea how to quell their fears. Instead of giving into the uncertainty of her shift, she took it one step at a time. She dove into her passion for cooking and educated herself on the bounty of flavors available through a vegan diet. She realized that this was anything but a lifestyle of deprivation and quickly sold everyone on her new way of eating by creating vegan versions of her family’s favorite southern dishes.
Kristina has always loved animals and as soon as she learned about the hidden truths of animal agriculture she made it her mission to protect them. She knew that she needed to share this mission on a larger scale but wasn’t sure how or what that would look like. What happened next is nothing short of divine. Kristina applied and was accepted onto the Food Network’s Cut Throat Kitchen (season 4, episode 7) as the first-ever vegan chef. Coming up against other talented chef’s in a non-vegan friendly environment put Kristina’s skills to the ultimate test. In the end, she prevailed and won the show. She used the proceeds of her winnings to purchase the V-Grits Food Truck and officially launch what has become a Louisville favorite.
In a very short time, V-Grits has grown from the food truck and into a fully vegan home delivery meal service and soon to be a cafe in the heart of Louisville, KY. Kristina is committed to serving up Southern Fried Compassion without any sacrifice in taste and the locals are embracing every bite.
Kristina is adamant about finding our missions and never giving up on our visions. She believes that there is no telling what will happen in life and that we have to keep a big space in our hearts open to uncertainty. We hope that you pull some inspiration and wisdom away from Kristina’s words. It is so obvious that her motivation is not for selfish desire but for the good of all, the people, the planet and the animals.
Thank you for tuning in for another episode of the YTP, we appreciate your support more than we can accurately express. Thank you for using the Amazon Banner Ad and for becoming patrons of the show on Patreon.
Namaste-
Jess
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Episode 44 Show Notes
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