Affectionately known as the “vegan queen-bee” by friends and dubbed “The World’s Coolest Vegan” by Herbivore Magazine, Sarah Kramer is the vegan godmother of all things cruelty-free.
Raised as a vegetarian in a decidedly un-veggie-friendly Saskatchewan, Sarah eventually hopped a train out west and never looked back. Today she is a fore-runner in vegan awareness, but still lives a relatively quiet and happy life in Victoria BC with her wife Geri and their 4lb chihuahua Walter. Together they own Tattoo Zoo, a vegan friendly tattoo shop.
Sarah’s vegan empire began as a simple idea; in 1998 she was low on cash, so she (and her co-author at the time Tanya Barnard) photocopied, hand-bound, and gave out a homemade indie-style zine full of recipes for friends and family one holiday season. How punk rock!
They received an overwhelmingly positive response, which spurred the realization that her aims to change the world could become a reality in the most fun way: writing cookbooks!
The seed that was planted by that zine soon grew into what it is today: “the vegan bible” How It All Vegan!, Sarah’s best-selling cookbook. It has sold over a quarter of a million copies worldwide, and is a popular favorite of vegans from all over. From there sprouted its sequel, The Garden of Vegan, and then a third book, La Dolce Vegan!
While traveling on various book tours, Sarah realized the problem of finding vegan food on the road still had to be addressed. How does a vegan stay healthy while traveling? Thus was born Vegan Go-Go!, a pocket-sized, travel-friendly compilation of the most popular recipes from the first three books, plus 25 exciting new recipes. It’s a fun and pocket-sized necessity for any jet-setting vegan.
Sarah’s cookbooks and other projects have grown to become a staple in vegan or vegan-curious households across the globe, as they’re easy to follow and are full of personality. Today she’s selling books like (animal-product-free) hotcakes! How It All Vegan! won the 2003/2004 VegNews Veggie award for the Best Veg Cookbook, and Sarah also won their award for favorite cookbook author in 2005. La Dolce Vegan! received an M-Award in 2006 for favorite book.
Sarah is passionate in her work and notorious for her inspiring message. She has appeared on national Canadian TV shows like Canada AM. and W-5. Some of her British Columbia television appearances include New Day Live, Breakfast Television, and Go Magazine. Even Fergus, the Kramers’ famous dog, has been sighted on America’s Funniest Home Videos.
Sarah has spoken as a guest on numerous radio stations such as CBC, NPR, Vegan Freak Radio, and Animal Voices Radio about animal rights, food, and other vegan issues. She has also written articles for Herbivore Magazine and VegNews, and has done live cooking appearances at food festivals and vegetarian conferences throughout Canada and the United States.
Her website is also a great place to contact Sarah, follow her blog, and find like-minded vegans in various forums like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Sarah’s unique message is that “being vegan” is not just about food. It’s not about policing what others are doing or aggressively bashing people over the head with ideals. Rather, it is a positive and compassionate lifestyle choice that each individual has to make for his or her own self. In making choices as small as buying non-leather shoes or vegan food, each person is contributing to the cause. One person can make an impact!
Sarah believes that it only takes one tiny spark to start a fire. She has a pack of matches and is ready to burn! With Sarah at the top of her game, it’s hard to imagine what she could possibly do next or where things will go from here.
