“I wanted to make a difference in my community and provide more choice.“ — Lyanna Blunt on Black Lycan Vegans.
Black Made is theGrio’s new video series focused on black entrepreneurs.
Bronx native Lyana Blount is the CEO, founder and chef of Black Rican Vegan. The company produces comfort food inspired by Mr. Blount’s African-American and Puerto Rican roots.
“The Black Lycan Vegan was actually conceived in 2016,” Blount told theGrio. “I had a full-time job and had another business called Prepped To Go, so I didn’t do anything at all.
During the pandemic, Blount started noticing people taking an interest in her cooking as she shared her meals on her Instagram feed.
“The reason they’ve become so popular during the pandemic is that when we were spending more time at home, we featured these dishes on our Instagram feed and people loved them,” Blount explains.
“Over time, we started gaining a lot of followers, and people were just bored at home watching me make these recipes and post these pictures,” Blunt continues. “And on April 6, 2021, they wanted a menu. I created a menu for them, cooked all the food, delivered it that day. And from there we didn’t stop.”
Due to high demand, Brandt went from cooking at home to now cooking in commercial spaces in Harlem. She offers catering options and hosts her pop-up shops throughout New York City.
Black Rican Vegan has received accolades from stars like Grammy Award-winning artist Lizzo. On Tik-Tok, Lizzo uploaded a video of her trying out some of the black Lizzo’s vegan dishes. One was a chopped cheese egg roll. After taking a bite, Lizzo said: This was the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. ”
Brandt has a very small but strong team and hopes to eventually open a physical store in New York City.
“I’m just someone who grew up cooking and doing what I love,” Brandts says. “You go to culinary school and you meet passionate chefs who make big companies do what they do.“
Watch the full video to learn more about Black Rican Vegan.
TheGrio is available free on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV.please Download the Grio Mobile App today!
The post theGrio Presents Black Made: Lyana Blount, Founder/CEO/Chef of Black Rican Vegan appeared first on TheGrio.
