Tick, tick, tick. The holidays grow ever closer and I’m feeling the stress of preparing an amazing holiday meal. I have all of the components and a plan, but with a family my size it’s still one hell of an undertaking. And if I’m being honest, the baking is my least favorite part. I love baked goods, but working with crusts and pastry doughs stresses me out. Truth be told I’m horrible at making things look pretty too and baked goods should be a gorgeous ending to any holiday meal.

Thank goodness for Gone Pie Vegan Bakery! Barbara, the owner of Gone Pie, has a delicious gift. I can’t even look at the Gone Pie website without drooling on my keyboard, but there’s more to Barbara and Gone Pie than tasty treats. Barbara is an amazing baker, business woman, and human being. She has so much going on with her booming holiday business, but she still took the time to do a little interview with me:

1.) When did you go vegan?

Gosh everyone asks this question and I honestly do not know the answer.  It was not a big deal event for me.  I had a bakery on the Lower East Side which was a bit of a hippy joint.  This was the early 80's. It was retail and I decided to shut that part down and go strictly wholesale.  I was a very healthy eater, so I decided to try and pick up some of the major health food stores as accounts.  I was using all whole grains and alternative sweeteners.  Some of the stores wouldn't sell products with eggs so I

began to work on replacing them in my recipes.  Once I did that I got a lot of requests for vegan products.  There was nothing available at the time on the market.  So I began to develop vegan recipes.  As time passed and I became more informed about the baking I started to eat the way I was baking.  I had an amazing vegan co-worker at the time, who taught me a lot about veganism, but never really tried to change me.  I guess she could see the process unfolding and had faith I would get there myself. I was eating a vegan diet before I stopped baking with animal ingredients.  I didn't consider myself truly vegan until I stopped using these products in my baking. If I had to guess, I would say I have been vegan over 15 years.  How much over, I am not sure.

I also don't know my mother's birthday.  :-)

2.) How were you exposed to veganism?

Pretty much answered this above. Plus we had lots of extra unsold goodies we used to put out on the stoop at night. I got to know a lot of the vegan squatters that way and that got me more involved in the vegan community.

3.) What organizations do you support?

I support Friends of Animals.  I have strong beliefs and they embody them.  They campaign for wildlife protection, never endorse any kind of animal husbandry reform, run a spay and neuter program for cats and dogs, run a Primate Sanctuary and a Marine Mammal Rescue Center, and publish vegan cookbooks - they are advocates with a pure vegan agenda.  No messing around.  Friends of Animals exists to work

for the right of animals to live on their own terms free of human exploitation.  Working with them has been a learning experience.  I am very proud to have written a chapter for the second edition of "Dining with Friends" that is about to come out.  Working with them on this book was truly an honor. Please click here to donate to Friends of Animals :)

4.) What motivated you to start Gone Pie?

Gone Pie grew out of my earlier business (Bread and Roses) as I mentioned in question one.  I changed the name in 1999 to leave the history of animal use in my baking behind.

5.) What have been some of your struggles with starting Gone Pie? Growing Gone Pie?

It has been a struggle to find a level of business I can deal with. There were times we were doing deliveries 5 days a week. There was no down time. Developing a business model that allows me to have a life and maintain the business has been the biggest struggle. In terms of growth, I have actually shrunk.  I have fewer accounts now. It is a better business model for me personally. Having a business that runs 7 days a week, means you are potentially on call 7 days a week. I don't ever want to do that again! I also don't want to be the kind of place that does not require me to be a hands on baker. I am a baker. I want to bake, not be

an administrator.

6.) What do you consider you biggest success with Gone Pie or otherwise?

My greatest success is that I am still here doing what I do.  That veganism has grown so much during this time, is a success we all share in. When I was first doing this, vegans were a tiny market.  The fact that I have survived all these years is something that makes me very happy and proud. 

7.) What are your most popular products?

 

The brownies for sure.  I make about a dozen different kinds and I am always up to my elbows in chocolate!  No complaints.

8) If you were a tree what kind of tree would you be?

I love this question. I was a botany major in college so I actually think this way. I have two favorite trees. One is the tulip tree.  It is a big strong tree with awesome shaped leaves. I love this tree for its foliage.  It is a big strong tree. My other favorite tree is the magnolia.  It has an amazing flower. It is the earliest known flowering tree and is very primitive in floral structure.  Primitive beauty! I love this tree for its burst of showy spring beauty. The rest of the year it is pretty unremarkable.

9.) What other type of business would you like to pursue?

Can't think of any. Baking fulfills my artsy side and my scientific side.  It really suits me.

10.) Do you want to expand Gone Pie?

Yes. A little. I will be careful in doing this, as I never want to be as big as I was with Bread and Roses.

11.) What is your favorite part of owning Gone Pie?

Writing recipes specifically for people. And giving stuff away.  I love to carry stuff in my bag and just give it to friends when I run into them!  Sweets make people happy!

Mental note: must make an effort to “run” into Barbara and try not drool in anticipation of her to pulling a treat out of her bag for me. 

Barbara is the kind business woman I aspire to be one day. She’s smart, talented, conscientious, with a huge heart.  Please follow barbara on Twitter at @gonepie and visit Gone Pie Vegan Bakery for all of your holiday and every day baked goods needs. And don’t for get to check Gone Pie blog frequently too. I learned how to make homemade sour cream and the best macaroons EVER there and now I’m invincible!

Please click here to post a comment :)