A Warm Tummy Twinkle

After years away from the restaurant world, I felt a familiar spark again. This first episode is me following that feeling and opening the door to something new: a digital fireside for the vegan community I’ve been missing.

I talk about where I’ve been since closing my Cajun vegan restaurant, why this project feels like the next step, and what kind of space I hope to build here—one rooted in warmth, honesty, and connection.

If you’ve ever felt alone in your vegan journey or unsure what your next creative move should be, this episode is for you.

How to contact me:

💌 E-Mail: fireside@krimdom.com

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🐌 Personal Newsletter: E-Snails from Krimsey

💩 Instagram: @krimsey

💼 LinkedIn: @krimsey

📚 My Books: krimdom.com/books

📝 Substack (AI, systems, food): @krimsey

Links

📝 Substack (get episode alerts): veganfireside.substack.com 

🌐 Website: krimdom.com/veganfireside

🐌 Krimsey's Newsletter: E-Snails

📚 Krimsey's Books: dabblerouser.com/books

💌 Contact: krimdom.com/contact

Vegan Fireside: A podcast by Krimsey Lilleth — honest conversations about the inner life of being vegan in a world that mostly isn't. 

Transcript

[00:00:00] krimsey: Hello friends. Ever since I closed my Cajun vegan restaurant, I have been really missing my vegan community. When I first opened the restaurant, I had no idea exactly why I was doing it. I just felt called. It started when I was living in Louisiana and I had this little twinkle in my dummy that said, wouldn't a Cajun restaurant be cool?

And about eight years later, I suddenly got this overwhelming urge to finally make it happen. That involved quitting my job as an engineer and leaving Texas, going to California and testing it out in a place where I thought it had the highest chance of success where all the vegans were.

It turned into an incredible adventure that I look back on fondly and hope to maybe one day revive. But that's not the season I'm in right now. And why am I telling you this story? Well, because when I decided to finally go [00:01:00] for it and open that restaurant. It's because I followed that tiny little voice in my head that said, now is time.

And I didn't exactly know how it was gonna work out or whether it would even work out, but I started taking steps and this first episode is me taking another first step.

I've dabbled in podcasting a little bit, but it was always completely for fun, and I did a few episodes on some kind of random off the wall stuff, sometimes about figs and wasps. Other times I've read excerpts from my books.

But it was never anything that I thought too hard about. I would just get inspiration for something and I would do it. And now I'm here where I'm really missing my community. And since I've closed the restaurant, I've done some other kinds of vegan work, different kinds of activism. Sometimes in politics.

I've written a few vegan children's books, [00:02:00] and of course I have my Cajun vegan cookbook.

I've also dipped my toes into a few other vegan related things. But what I keep coming back to is that I feel like I'm here to support my community.

I recently got very real with myself and admitted that the type of activism that I'm most drawn to is not the activism that is fighting systems or trying to convince people that going vegan is how we create a more kind, peaceful world. Although I do believe that, and I think that we all have our individual roles to play in this movement.

And I think that my role in this movement is to lift all of you up, to provide a space for you, to give you something special.

And right now with a 2-year-old and a six month old, I'm in no place to be opening a new restaurant or building physical community spaces, [00:03:00] but this is something that I can offer.

I would like to create a digital space for us. And if you know me at all, you know that social media is not really my thing. I've never enjoyed it. 

I find it incredibly confusing, and I feel lost on there.

I much prefer. A more intimate mode of communication, something like this or one-on-one chats at a coffee shop, or the kinds of conversations I used to have with guests and crew members at my restaurant.

so my hope is that I can build something like that here, and I honestly have no idea exactly how that's gonna work. I'm just following this little twinkle in my tummy and letting it lead me where I will.

But I do have some ideas for the direction this might go, and I truly wanna hear from you about what would feel most supportive to you. Most [00:04:00] comforting. Most useful.

For example, do you need good news related to veganism?

Some weekly or monthly infusions of positive movement news? Or are you a parent and are interested in talking about being a vegan parent, raising a vegan kid?

Do you wanna hear vegan interviews

or fireside vegan chats with friends?

Or a yuck and yum feature on various vegan products.

Do you need a place that openly discusses vegan greenwashing or climate greenwashing? And some places just call it out. I'm curious, what do you want? How can I support you?

Because I know that being vegan in a non-vegan world is incredibly difficult, and the longer you're vegan, the more it can seem. I don't wanna say hopeless, but not good.

Especially recently, at least speaking [00:05:00] personally, I felt a huge sense of hope. maybe five-ish years ago. It felt like the vegan movement was picking up massive amounts of steam, and I thought it's only a matter of time before everyone understands and agrees that Killing innocent animals is very violent, 

but I felt sad since then as I've watched vegan Enthusiasm dwindle 

and seeing how Big Ag has used money to control the narrative. People are buying it.

As I've been watching this happen, I've really wanted a place to go and just feel like I'm wrapped in a warm blanket of vegan friends. And truthfully, it's been very hard to find that blanket.

So can we do it here?

Please? Talk to me. Send me an email. Find me on Instagram. Yes, I am there, although not super active.

Or go to my website and fill out a [00:06:00] contact form.

I'll add all these links in the show description.

So that's really all I have for today. It's kind of an embarrassing level of content. I haven't said much except, Hey, I think I'm gonna do this thing. And the way that I've been dabbling since I closed my restaurant is by doing exactly this, by trying this, trying that, saying, Hey, does anyone want this?

And quite honestly, a lot of it has not gained much traction. So while I still do a lot of things, even though no one cares, this is a thing that I only wanna do if people care and if people wanna hear it and get involved.

so if you wanna see this project go forward and find out what it becomes because I don't know either. Please let me know. I'm not gonna know if you don't tell me.

And hey, how are you? If you contact me and let me know what you're interested in, even if it's just a generic interest. I'd also like to hear how you're doing and what's on your mind.

What are you excited about or worried [00:07:00] about? What are you looking forward to,

And how do you feel about the energy of the vegan movement right now?

What do you wish would change?

Alright, so that's enough of me talking about talking about something and I'm ready to close it out.

And know that wherever you are and whatever you're doing, however you're feeling, I'm thinking about you and I wanna support you, and I wanna create a space for you,

just raise your hand and tell me that you're interested.