A Black Entrepreneur Finds Her ‘Vegan Soul’—in Idaho

A smiling woman in a “Vegan Vibes” shirt holds a bowl of macaroni and cheese and a plate of vegan soul food in a commercial kitchen.

When Mae Gaines moved from Los Angeles, CA, to Idaho, she expected her life would be different. What she didn’t anticipate was the response when she opened Boise’s first—and only—vegan soul food restaurant. *Trigger warning: This episode contains an offensive racial slur, repeated by the interviewee as she describes a real-life incident of verbal assault.

Written by Craftsmanship Editors

Introduction by Melanie Eversley

Narrated by Terry Collins, Shakeema Smalls, Mae Gaines

Produced by Chris Egusa

Music by Mike Snowden of “The Cigar Box Guitar Maker”

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Terry Collins is a longtime journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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