Gabrielle “Gabi” Walker-Aguilar is the mastermind and chef-owner of Chicago’s exclusively vegan catering company, The Rootsy Vegan, founded in 2011. Raised in Evanston of Haitian and African American lineage, Gabrielle was raised in the kitchens of two grandmothers who loved to cook traditional foods from their native lands, which was what influenced her to not only cook herself but to pay homage to her cultural roots with the name of her business and the flavors she adores. As someone who had worked in the food and beverage industry for many years, Gabrielle and her business partner Aurora Rivera bring professionalism and expertise to any event they cater.
I’ve gotten to know Gabi and her three gorgeous boys through the Chicago Vegan Family Network. Her food - warm, nurturing and full of flavor, like the chef herself – is always the highlight of any potluck. With the ultimate goal of opening a vegan café in Evanston, we are fortunate to have yet another bridge-builder in Chicago’s diverse pool of talented people who are making cruelty-free living that much more accessible and delicious for the community at lage.
How did you evolve toward embracing a vegan lifestyle? What motivated and inspired you?
Well, two things in particular. First, my sons Ulai and Olu are very passionate about their love for animals and the welfare of animals. Ulai is vegan and Olu is vegetarian, both were urging me to stop eating meat and dairy and I considered it for a long time. Then, my older sister, Terry, died of a heart attack quite suddenly just a day after enjoying the Taste of Chicago; about 2 weeks after that, my father was diagnosed with Coronary Artery Disease…I was set after that. I vowed to be vegan, mainly to prevent what seemed to be hereditary from happening to me. I’d rather prevent something than try to reverse it once it happened.
What is your “food background”? Did you have a parent who liked to cook? Grandparents? When did you start thinking about food as a possible career for yourself?
I’ve always enjoyed cooking with my grandmothers and my mother. I have lived in the U.S. most of my life, but I also had the pleasure of living in Haiti for a couple of years as a child, and there I immersed in the culture; cooking is how we truly express our culture. While in Haiti, I was raised by my great aunt, and she showed me day in and day out how to create delectable traditional Haitian cuisine. Once I became vegan, I was determined to still enjoy those flavors and traditions, and I taught myself how to convert our recipes into vegan styles.
What is your culinary philosophy, both with ingredients, cuisine influences and the sort of experience you want clients to have when they eat Rootsy Vegan meals?
1. It must be plant-based.
2. I commit to using as many organic ingredients as possible.
3. The food has to be as healthy as I can make it, low in saturated fat and sodium without compromising the integrity of my style.
4. I try to use the purest ingredients, the freshest produce. I do my best to stay away from canned or frozen even though there are times when I do, especially when making my chili.
5. It has to have my ethnic roots in the style, the seasonings, somewhere in the dish. That could be in using a scotch bonnet pepper to add a little kick, or a bit of fresh ginger added to my greens to give it a bit of warmth.
6. All in all, it’s got to be ROOTSY, I can promise you a bland bunch of steamed broccoli will not be served without a dabble of something to jazz it up (unless upon request).
Where do you draw your culinary inspiration?
My culinary inspiration comes from my love for the cultures of the world; flavors from Mexico to Ethiopia, Haiti to good ol’ African American soul food, I find myself most in love with marrying themes and flavors that complement each other, just like my own family. My husband is Mexican and I am Haitian and Afro-American, our home is a delicious melting pot in and of itself and that extends all the way into the menu of The Rootsy Vegan.
My favorite pastime is to have friends and family over to eat my food serenaded by some world music over a few bottles of great wine. One moment we’re on the beaches of Brazil, the next in the shanty towns of South Africa. My friends and my family all know my dream is to open my own place, and not because I want to become rich owning my own business, but because I want to feed the world the pleasures of delectable vegan food one palate and one belly at a time. I would like to share with people how yummy good-for- you-food can really be. I’d like to save myself and help to save others from debilitating disease and ailments by showing that eating to live can be tasty and fun, sexy and delicious!
What is your very favorite world cuisine?
I love Haitian food first, then Ethiopian and Mexican are a close second.
Can you explain the process of meeting with a client? If someone were interested in having the Rootsy Vegan to cater an event, could you tell us the process toward nailing down a menu?
Well, there’s nothing like a good conversation to really get to know a person and what flavors they most enjoy. I definitely start out with learning about any allergies and or dietary restrictions besides the obvious desire to have a total plant-based menu.
Where the event will take place and whether or not we will have a kitchen on the premise will dictate a lot about what menu options are available. We can provide a lot more than what is on our menu, so sometimes I will customize a menu based on the client and the sort of event they are having. A small dinner party for 12 allows me to be a lot more creative than a wedding buffet for 150 people. We definitely specialize in savory cuisine rather than sweets. I have good partnerships with some really great vegan bakers and I enjoy sharing the business love with them!
Do any of your clients have concerns about planning events with a vegan menu for those who attending who are omnivores? How do you address that?
I usually allow them to speak to my partner Aurora, who isn’t vegan. She loves to boast about how much she adores and inhales my food because it’s so hard to believe it isn’t meat or dairy. She says, and I quote, “This is the food you use to convert a true omnivore to vegan because they would fight you over the fact that this isn’t dairy mac and cheese!”
But to truly answer your question, I like to suggest menus that most resemble traditional non-vegan fair like my lasagna and Rootsy collard greens, or my Chili and Corny Corn Bread. When introducing vegan food, sharing what people love most in a different form can be eye opening and fun for them and everyone; that’s usually a win-win for us.
What ingredients are you most excited by right now?
I love the Tofutti brand, their sour cream and cream cheese really allow me to convert some “traditional” dips and sauces into vegan styles. Also, my dear friend Lisa Joy recently showed me a yummy whipped cream recipe with coconut milk and my sons and I accidently made ice cream with it instead, now we’re in Heaven!
Some chefs complain that veganism is too limiting. How do you feel about that? Do you ever feel “limited” by vegan ingredients?
Are you kidding me? This is where I feel the limits are endless. The traditional menu has its limits; there isn’t much novelty in mainstream eating establishments anymore. How many Cobb salads, BBQ ribs, gyros, chicken Caesar salads, chicken masala, beef stews can one eat? Okay, now walk into a vegan establishment and you have a whole new palate to choose from: jerk tofu, portabella mushroom masala, creamy florets potpie, cheesy macaroni casserole (dairy-free, of course). There are no limits; this is what makes vegan cooking so fun, so exciting: we are creating the bar, the new standard of tasteful healthy living!
Is there anything you enjoyed as an omnivore that you are still working at trying to recreate without animal ingredients?
Well, not a single item in particular. What I wish I could create are more satiating carbohydrate-free foods. I want to enjoy a meal that has less of a carb load, more of a lean protein, while still being vegan, that’s what I’m working toward… it not being a salad, lol.
What are your favorite restaurants in Chicago?
Soul Veg on the south side, Chicago Diner in the city, Native Foods Café has been a great addition to Chicago, and Loving Hut is my go-to place for good vegan food and wonderful spiritual warmth. There’s also a new place in Bronzeville on 47 th and King called H-Dogs, they have a good vegan selection believe it or not, vegan dogs, burgers, chili and fries. You just have to let them know to hold the cheese on certain sandwiches and to that you are vegan so that they cook on a separate surface.
If you could cook for anyone in the world, living or dead, who would they be and what would you cook?
Toussaint Louverture, Frida Kahlo, Gandhi, Michelle & Barack Obama, Bob Marley, Oprah, Dr. Oz, John Robbins, Dr. Ben Carson, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi and Sting, to name a few. I would have them over for an entire weekend so that I could cook more than once because I cannot decide between my Rootsy Collard Greens, Cheesy Macaroni, Jamican Jerk Tofu, Creole Tempeh, BBQ Seitan, Spicy Red Cabbage Slaw, Carmelita’s Red Beans and Rice, Broiled Asparagus and Red Onion with Balsamic Glaze, Portabella Masala and Agave Mustard Tempeh.
Thanks, Gabi!
Thank you for the opportunity, I really enjoyed your questions!
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