After working in an elephant rescue in Thailand and living abroad for almost four years, Diana Edelman was about to move back to Las Vegas and wanted to make the jump from vegetarian to vegan. When she searched for vegan options online, she was dismayed to find so few. She knew that wasn’t accurate, though, so she leaned on her background in travel blogging, public relations and writing, and set out to document and share information on local restaurants with vegan options. In short, she founded Vegans, Baby.
Tell us about the partnerships you’ve developed here.
Because I write about restaurants, curate a vegan dining month and Las Vegas dinners at the James Beard House, lead local vegan food tours, publish a guidebook and curate special events like Life is Beautiful, it has brought me close to chefs and restaurants, as well as the community. I have worked with some incredibly talented chefs through my James Beard House dinners and local events, worked with restaurants to offer more plant-based options, and shared resources and created content designed to make vegan food easy to find and more approachable for the community.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your business?
It’s affected every aspect of my business. Before COVID-19, I had my third James Beard House Vegas Vegan dinner planned, featuring a lineup of six amazing female chefs from Las Vegas. I had two international tours planned, and two more in the works. I also had a few big partnerships about to take off. With COVID-19, all that was paused. Because my business works synergistically with the hospitality and travel industries, the shutdown extended to my work as well.
Did you wait out the state-mandated business shutdown or were you able to remain open? What specific adaptations did you make as a result of it?
I’ve been able to continue what I do, but in a very limited capacity. My work essentially stopped with the shutdown because everyone I work with shut down or their revenue dropped to numbers that prohibited any extra spending. I knew there wasn’t going to be a way to generate revenue when the industries were struggling to stay alive, so I decided to help the community. I offered private coaching for entrepreneurs to help them take the time we were shut down to work on their dreams; offered free consulting to restaurants to help them add plant-based options to their menus; and provided no-cost advertising to Black-owned vegan and vegan-friendly businesses.
In the sense of strengthening my brand, I invested time in providing up-to-date information for my audience regarding restaurants open during the shutdown; partnered with local chefs to share recipes using ingredients we all have in our kitchen; partnered with restaurants to create one-off vegan pop-ups; and worked to bring helpful information to them about how to stay healthy and sane during this time of incredible stress and uncertainty.
I also took the time to focus on bigger projects and dreams for me, like launching my podcast, The Good Fork—which features conversations with a plant-based twist with guests such as elite chefs, entrepreneurs, plant-based celebrities and more—and moving more into video with The Good Fork Bites, which profiles local restaurants serving amazing vegan food.
Did you develop any new habits during the quarantine?
I developed a few new habits. I’m a person who really needs to feel in control, and when we are in a place where we literally have no control over anything other than our person, it’s eye-opening. So, I control my day. I remember the first day of shutdown, I sat with a notebook and mapped out a schedule for my days from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed. I stuck to absolutely none of it. But, after about a week of eating crap, ugly crying and feeling like I was spinning out, I decided that was enough. I started an exercise routine and woke up every morning and walked 10,000 steps, then did about 60-90 minutes of working out pretty much every day. Because I had control over what I was eating since there were no tastings, I radically changed my diet, too. At this point, I’m on a 12-week workout/eating healthy streak, according to my Peloton app. I also started to make sure I had time for my own personal growth each day and have been devouring books about business, food and anti-racism/being an ally.
Have you gone out to other businesses since the city began reopening? Where and why?
When the city went into Phase Two, I decided to venture out, but no one was social distancing or wearing masks where I was, and it made me feel really vulnerable and anxious. That was about as far as I got. I’ve had a few meetings in person and have filmed at a few restaurants, but I’m not going shopping at stores or dining inside restaurants. I appreciate being able to spend time with a few people and am not willing to risk their health or my own right now to go out, especially when our numbers continue to rise.
What is the best advice you’ve received?
Find your niche. My mom told me that years and years ago and I always kind of shrugged it off. I was dead set on a career in public relations in my 20s and thought that was it for me, but I ignored all of the cues in my life that showed me what my niche really was; and it wasn’t public relations. It was writing, traveling and being a leader for change. Once I discovered those things that made me feel alive, it was easy to see my niche since it was the combination of my passions.
Is there danger in your work?
Eating too much? I’m fortunate that there isn’t really danger in positive activism and dining. When I worked in elephant rescue in Thailand and was raising awareness about the realities of elephant and animal tourism in general, there was definitely danger in what I was doing there. I made a lot of mafia leaders and government officials angry and was reminded often I needed to be careful.
If you could change one thing about Southern Nevada, what would it be?
I’d love to see more environmental initiatives come into place that require restaurants to use eco-friendly packaging (get rid of the styrofoam and plastic) and for the region to implement more environmental initiatives or campaigns. Of course, I’d also love to see businesses in general use their platforms to be champions for change. It would also be wonderful to see more restaurants add more plant-based options to their menus.
Describe your management style. How did you refine your management approach?
I really want to be approachable and easy to be around, so I am very open, honest and vulnerable with people I work with. I surround myself with a team of people who are strong and compassionate, and encourage them to be open with me and share their thoughts and ideas. I didn’t get to where I am without a team of people who are incredible supporters and became life-long friends. I’m constantly learning, and since I have others who work with me because they care about what I’m doing, I am learning how to communicate more effectively.
What is your dream job, outside of your current field? Why?
I used to be a professional actress and think it would be fun to get back into that and see where it takes me. But truly, what I do now is my dream job — I never thought I’d be able to combine everything I love into my business and there’s nothing I love more.
If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be and why?
I’ve lived in almost all of the places I would pick — Chiang Mai, London and Madrid. They all had different reasons for what made them special. In Thailand, it was the elephants; in London it was the city and its energy; in Madrid it was the culture (and wine). The only other place high on my list is New York, and thanks to being a partner with James Beard and other one-offs, I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time there this past year. I’m in love with the East Village and the scene there.
What is something that people might not know about you?
I got my start in journalism as a sports reporter and got my start in public relations as an assistant director of a minor league roller hockey team when I was 18.