2020 Gumbo Final - Book - Page 32
Plant Based Treats
Come to Baton Rouge
A couple makes sweets that are plantbased and vegan for the people of
Baton Rouge
L
ocal veteran-owned business creates plantbased sweets for Baton Rouge.
Allen and Maria Howard are known across the
city for their delicious bakes from their popular
Southern Savory Biscuits to indulgent S’mores
Cookies. Their creations are all handmade with
love, care and one other special ingredient—
plants.
The veteran husband and wife pair created
Plant Based Sweets by Lotus after Allen
Howard went vegan. He may have cut animal
products out of his life, but the cravings for
comfort food still stuck around. In Baton Rouge,
the plant-based options are fairly few and far
between, so the couple started veganizing
recipes themselves.
30
Story: Masie O’ Toole
Photo: Courtesy of Plant Based Sweets by Lotus
Design: Kacey Buercklin
What began as a slow transition eventually
evolved into a full-blown lifestyle change for
the pair. After being frustrated with feeling
constantly sluggish and exhausted, they
decided to take the leap together. First, they cut
out red meat and then slowly but surely, they
began to eliminate all other animal products.
“That was the big motivator for me— feel,” he
said. “I felt like I needed to have a cup of coffee
in the morning to wake up my system.”
As they transitioned, the couple began
experimenting with recipes they knew and
loved, looking for ways to eliminate all animal
products without sacrificing flavor or texture.
Instead of simply creating a substitute, they
wanted to create something that was healthy
and delicious in its own right. Obviously, they
succeeded.
After they veganized a recipe, the couple would
share pictures on their personal Instagram
accounts, and the response from their friends
was overwhelmingly positive. In March 2019,
friend and owner of Southern Cofé invited the
pair over for a Food Truck Friday event.
From there, the bakers began to cater their
treats towards the Southern audience. People
in Louisiana love their comfort food, so the duo
wanted to replicate that feeling without the
health risks that come with it.
“We thought, ‘This is the South, everyone
likes their pound cake and biscuits,’” she said.
“‘Let’s put out a healthier option and make
vegan treats available and accessible to the
community so you have a different option of
eating.’”
The overarching theme of the business is this
accessibility. In a place where healthier options
are limited, Plant Based Sweets by Lotus caters
to the groups that are left out. The produce
treats that are not only plant-based, but glutenfree, non-GMO and refined sugar free.
The couple is working to redefine vegan
eating in the South, and present the option of
a cleaner and more eco-conscious way of life.
They are combatting the association of plantbased diets with a dull meal plan of lifeless
salad and juice cleanses and instead proving
there is a way to be both healthy and satisfied.
“The fact that we can create things and people
that aren’t even vegan like our food makes
us happy,” Maria Howard said. “It makes me
happy to know that you’re eating something
that’s made from all plants. We’re not hurting
the earth, and we’re doing something very
beneficial to the people.”