I am Meagan, co-owner and operator of Crust Vegan Bakery.

I got into my field via a love of sugar, and a lack of good vegan pastries in my city. Going vegan in the south meant there wasn't much that catered to my diet, so I started baking for myself and my friends and realized how much I loved doing it!

I never imagined I would own my own business, it happened organically as I grew my skills in the kitchen and wanted to share my vegan baking successes with others who also had a need for vegan sweets.

I would love for Crust to buy a building and have our whole team under one roof. Currently we have a commercial kitchen and a storefront, but truly the dream is to get us all together. The 2024 goal is to create a plan to get us there and to begin taking steps in that direction. It would mean a lot for the growth of the business as well as the culture for our staff. Having everyone working in the same space would mean a lot to me, it would bring Crust together as one cohesive unit instead of being what feels like two separate entities right now.

Best dessert flavor for me is anything with sesame / tahini. I love how it brings a savoriness to something sweet. It adds a nutty flavor that is warm and rich! I think it also is quite unexpected for many people based on the reaction of customers when they meet our tahini cheesecake or our salted tahini chocolate chip cookie for the first time - both staples at Crust!

 So random, but I am super into doing my own gel manicure at home! As someone who has worked with their hands for over a decade in the kitchen but who also LOVES expressing her femininity through having polished nails, traditional polish is too prone to chipping and peeling gel polish has been super awesome in my line of work. Getting gel manicures for years at the salon became too expensive and fell by the wayside when other life expenses got to be more costly (rescuing animals has become a big expense at our house LOL) so when I realized I could do my own nails at home for a fraction of the cost I was stoked!

I recently did a manicure with susuwatari (soot sprites) decorations from the movie Spirited Away...it's my first time really doing anything other than just flat polish, and I am excited to explore my creativity more with this hobby!

I was an art major in high school and college, so it's given me a creative space to have fun and play, something I have not made time for in being an adult who started her own business at the age of twenty three 9 years ago...2024 is the year of crafting and painting for me!