For the last few weeks I have been musing over the last year and how fantastic it’s been.  Here are just some of the highlights:

I started the year with my first vlog and a road trip across the country with a friend.  Ate some incredible food, met up with fabulous people and saw a good portion of the U.S.

I was interviewed by VeganCulinaryExperience.com and VegetarianWomen.com.

Traveled to Phoenix and Seattle before heading out to Australia for the month of March.  What an experience that was!  I ate so much great food and met so many awesome Aussies and fellow travelers.  Check out some of my photos here.

In April I took a road trip from E. Lansing, MI to Oklahoma City, OK.  I was home for a day, then I went to Tahoe for a weekend getaway with my best girlfriends from high school.

One of the biggest things to happen to me all year was appearing on the cover of the Nashville Scene in May.  That photo opened a lot of doors for me and was so much fun!  I’m so thankful for that.

Speaking of photos, I went to Bonnaroo in June and ended up on the Maxim Facebook pictorial Babes of Bonnaroo 2.  My bikini photo from the Nashville Scene also earned the honor of one of the Hottest Girls on Facebook at Maxim.com.  Ecorazzi and Vegetarian Star picked up the story as well.  Fun!

My site was nominated for the second year in a row for a VegNews Veggie Award (Favorite Web Site) and was also named one of the Top Ten Vegetarian Web Sites.  Thank you, VegNews, for your continued support!

Summer also brought my second trip to Vegetarian Summerfest, where I got to speak about vegan travel, reconnect with old friends, make lots of new ones, and witness one of the best weddings ever.

AR 2009 was a blast too!  I met some of my vegan idols, had a great time with awesome folks I had met the year before and I interviewed my good friends Michelle Taylor and Robert Cheeke.

Michelle interviewed me for her online TV show, Vegan Break, and I also appeared on the Robert Cheeke Show.  I had the privilege of speaking with Ed Coffin on the Eating Consciously Podcast and Vance Lehmkuhl’s VegCast #70.

In September I was part of the Tennessean experiment Vegan for a Month.  I got to be the unofficial Vegan Lifestyle Coach for five members of the Tennessean staff as they ate vegan for thirty days.  It was a lot of fun, and great exposure for veganism.

September also brought me to Toronto for the 25th Annual Vegetarian Food Fair.  So much fun!  I got to hang with some of my favorite vegans as well as some old friends I have known online for years.  Great trip!  Toronto is a fabulous city and very vegan friendly.  Can’t wait to go back.

October was a busy travel month.  I went to Portland, where I spent time with family and hung out with my friend Robert Cheeke.  Robert and I saw Gary Vaynerchuk at Powell’s and of course ate some amazing food.  I also got to speak about Why It’s Easy to be Vegan at the Central Florida VegFest, which was a great experience.  VooDoo Fest in New Orleans during Halloween weekend was super fun too.

I came to Nashville in 2000 to pursue my singing career and this year I started working on my first album with Producer/Guitarist Extraordinaire Biff Watson.  Vance previewed my first single “Let Go” on VegCast #75 and I’ll be releasing more music via MySpace and iTunes very soon.  Yay!

November and December were pretty quiet as far as travel is concerned, but I found lots of amazing vegan food right here in Nashville, as you can see by my latest blogs.  Nashville is becoming more and more vegan friendly and it’s exciting to watch and experience!

I am so thankful for my life.  I get to travel all over the world eating great vegan food, I have amazing friends and family and a rich, full life in Nashville.  In just one year I got to eat in these forty cities:

Memphis, TN
Plano, TX
Austin, TX
Big Bend, TX
Tucson, AZ
Joshua Tree, CA
Palm Springs, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Phoenix, AZ
Tempe, AZ
Sedona, AZ
Asheville, NC
Seattle, WA
Sydney, NSW, AuS
Manly, NSW, AUS
Melbourne, Victoria, AUS
Brisbane, Queensland, AUS
Mullumbimby, NSW, Australia
Gold Coast, Queensland, AUS
Hamilton Island, Queensland, AUS
Hot Springs, NC
Knoxville, TN
East Lansing, MI
Joplin, MO
Oklahoma City, OK
Truckee, CA
Incline Village, NV
Oakland, CA
San Francisco, CA
Manchester, TN
Johnstown, PA
Santa Rosa, CA
Napa, CA
Toronto, ON, Canada
Atlanta, GA
Portland, OR
Denver, CO
Orlando, FL
New Orleans, LA
Nashville, TN

Thank you all so much for your continued support.  2010 is looking to be amazing and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you.  Happy New Year!

On my recent trip to Los Angeles for AR 2009, I had the privilege of meeting and sharing a meal with Kevin Boylan, one of the owners of The Veggie Grill. I was so inspired by his story, his business sense, and of course, the amazing food! The Veggie Grill has found the winning formula for healthy, delicious, inexpensive, convenient meals, something this country so desperately needs.

The Veggie Grill has served over a half million plant-based meals in 2.5 years. Over 90% of the restaurant’s patrons are non-vegetarian, which really goes to show that the demand is there, and not just for those of us who choose to eat vegan all the time.

Although Kevin is very busy with the day-to-day duties surrounding his quickly-growing restaurant chain, he was kind enough to take time to answer some questions for TheTravelingVegetarian.tv.

TTV: What are your goals for The Veggie Grill? Are you franchising?

KB: Our goal is to become the “Whole Foods” of the restaurant industry, which goes along with our mission statement: “Make it fun to eat wholesome.” We are putting off any decision regarding franchising at this time. Our intent is to continue to own & operate our restaurants for the time being.

TTV: Where do you see the business is five years? Ten?

KB: We are now positioned to become the first national brand serving wholesome (which we define as 100% plant-based) comfort food. We intend to grow our base from three to six locations over the next twelve months, and then from six to twelve over the following twelve months. At that juncture we will have the infrastructure in place to support an aggressive national roll-out.

TTV: Why is The Veggie Grill thriving when so many restaurants and other businesses are failing?

KB: We are meeting a need: Delicious food that people can feel good about eating, served by friendly & thoughtful people in an attractive & convenient setting.

TTV: What was the process in coming up with the current menu? Was it one chef? Several?

KB: After an exhaustive period of due diligence, which included sampling food from coast to coast, we found Ray White who has been working with plant-based recipes for 10+years. We then worked together with Ray to develop the menu that you see today. Our team is constantly striving to improve & innovate, so we add new, delicious items on an ongoing basis.

TTV: Is the menu the same at all locations?

KB: Yes it is.

TTV: What would you say is The Veggie Grill’s signature dish?

KB: That’s a difficult question, as some guests love the Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’, while others swear by The Stack. However, pretty much everyone is amazed by our Sweetheart Fries & carrot cake.

TTV: What’s your favorite thing on the menu?

KB: That’s like asking me which one of my children is my favorite! I’m enthralled with all our dishes!

TTV: What inspired you to change your eating habits?

KB: Our inspiration to adopt a 100% plant-based diet was based upon the overwhelming body of evidence that we discovered as we were researching the food business, which clearly demonstrates the benefits of a plant-based diet. We feel better, and our wives tell us that we look better too; who needs any more inspiration than that!

The Veggie Grill has won many well-deserved awards including “Restaurant of the Year” from VegNews Magazine and “Best New Restaurant” in any category from the OC Journal.

Delicious food that people can feel good about eating is working very well.  I know this Traveling Veg is definitely looking forward to The Veggie Grill coming to Nashville.  In the meantime, I can’t wait to get back to Southern California for a Bali Bliss with blackened tempeh and avocado and a side of those amazing sweet potato fries!

Bali Bliss - Indonesian styled tempeh, sautéed and grilled, lettuce, tomato, red onion, chipotle ranch. Add avocado, portobello mushroom or chili for $1.50. Blackened upon request.

All Hail Kale - Marinated organic kale and red cabbage, roasted corn salsa, agave-roasted walnuts with a ginger-papaya vinaigrette. Add blackened chickin’ for $2.50.

Carrot Cake - Free of dairy, cholesterol and refined sugar - Full of deliciousness!

Here’s the info:

When:  Saturday, July 18th at 4-6 PM
Where:  Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad St, Murfreesboro, TN  37130
Class Price:  $35

“Garden Glory” Menu

Rise & Shine Emerald Shake
Butternut Squash Soup
Walnut-Carrot Pâté
Zucchini Primavera
Blueberry Banana Pie

Class participants will enjoy tasting each of these delicious dishes, and receive a packet of information that includes: all the recipes, ingredient information and additional information on health-related topics.

Class is limited to 20 people and tuition is pre-paid. To reserve your seat send a check for $35 (payable to Sharon Jacks) to: 115 Lilac Court/Murfreesboro, TN 37128. If you have any questions, please call Sharon at 615.556.1152.