Better Homes & Gardens presents our 2024 Food Issue.
Refresh your dinner menus with ideas for what to eat using seasonal ingredients or items in your pantry.
It all may have started just a few years ago with a viral video of a vegan BLT sandwich.
Credit:Andrew Eccles
Andrew Eccles
Tabitha Brown has many descriptors.
What unites everything that Tabitha does?
Tabitha has a smile and demeanor that light up any roomor screenshe enters.
Yes, it basically started with that sandwich and an Uber.
That wasmy first video that ever went viral.
I was already doing Facebook videos with me cooking for friends and family.
In my excitement of eating the sandwich, I decided to do a video in the car.
It quickly started going viral, and by January, Whole Foods messaged me on Facebook.
They said, We saw your video, and wed love to work with you on some other things.
And the rest came from that.
Q: You have a wonderful way of presenting yourself on social media and in video.
Does that come out of your work as an actor?
I was still very afraid in the beginning though.
But then I finally said, Im gonna talk to people the same way I really speak.
I dont know if they are going to like it.
Credit:Andrew Eccles
But I gotta be exactly who I amall the time.
So thats how people found me.
People were like,Who is this lady?I think it was just Gods timing for my life.
Do you have a formula for the types of content you share?
I love to make people laugh, so I was always joking around.
Ive been a performer my whole life.
But some days, Im not joking.
Some days, Im crying.
Some days, Im giving inspiration.
Some days, Im speaking from the heart.
And I noticed that people still liked my videos, and they kept watching.
So I was like,Oh, maybe its just what God has planned for my life.
I didnt even know what viral meant.
I was just sharing what Im enjoying eating and thinking about right now.
Q: Ive heard you mention your freedom walk several times.
Tell me about that.
Well, we all deserve it, right?
Mine started because I was sick; I was desperate to feel better.
Mostly, I was desperate to be made whole again.
I was just all out of whack, you know.
Depression and anxiety set in.
I was so frustrated with life.
That meant I had to start taking all the layers off that I had put on myself.
Now I cant care about what the world thinks, which is very scary and hard to do.
I was a people pleaser for a very long time.
Its a thing that can be rooted in childhood, that we dont want to disappoint.
Q: So how did that exhibit itself in your work?
Now Im gonna show up and be honest and vulnerable, telling people about my life right now.
And Ive been doing that now for the last six years; its really changed my entire life.
You have to give them grace and have understanding that theyre not ready yet.
People dont always know where to start.
So I tell them to do a 30-day challenge.
And in the 30 days, do something new every day.
It can be something as small as wearing your hair differently.
You never take time to go to a museum?
Then go to a museum.
Or walk around in a park, sit down by yourself, and eat lunch.
And stay off your phone.
Watching people is one of the great things to do in life.
Ive always been that person, right?
Even when I was not free.
I was always helping others get to their place.
Thats just a natural part of who I am.
I love to uplift people, inspire people, help people.
Its the whole reason I wanted to be an actress.
I love to perform.
That might be crying.
But its some pop in of emotion.
Acting helps people feel.
Ive always been that person people call when theyre in conflict or trying to figure something out.
But its understanding whos going to tell you the truth.
Making Veganism a Lifestyle
Eating a vegan diet has been a journey of its own.
Q: Did your family become vegan with you?
When I first went vegan, I was desperate to feel better.
I decided to have a go at re-create all my favorite nonvegan items and make them vegan.
The first 30 days, we all did it together as a family.
After that, everybody went back to eating normally, except for me.
And then she went back to eating fish and chicken.
My husband ended up going vegan, and he did it for two years.
And then last year, he went back to eating fish.
So now Im back alone again.
But I dont mind.
Q: Youve become famous for clever ideas like your carrot dogs and jackfruit tacos.
What are some other examples of what unites your cooking?
I cook the same way Ive always cooked.
I normally cook without salt.
My granny taught me at a young age.
She said, Listen, when you go into a restaurant, wheres your salt?
I said its on the table.
She says, Thats where it belongson the table.
It doesnt belong in the kitchen.
I love herbs and spices.
I love cumin and curry and all these different spices.
I taste, layer, and season as I cook.
Im not taking anything away from myself.
Im giving myself something new.
But as time went on, my body said, I dont want that anymore.
So now I focus more on whole foods.
Q: How do you entertain for a crowd of mixed eaters while remaining vegan?
I love to entertain, so Im always thinking of others when we gather.
Whats something everybody can enjoy, right?Deviled eggswere my favorite growing up.
But now we make Angel Eggs.
It was a recipe I actually had a dream about.
But it has become one of my most famous recipes.
Credit:Andrew Eccles
For a lot of my recipes, my first layer is onion and garlic.
And then you add whatever flavor profile you want.
you’re able to do all sorts of variations.
I always tell people Im an entertainer.
To me, all that falls under entertainment.
The biggest thing I am?
Im a woman who happens to do a lot.
I never want people to feel judged by how they eat and live their life.
I did it to save my life.
Or maybe you dont do dairy this week.
I want us to be intentional about how we treat ourselves.
You know, it blows me away with so many people.
Theyll eat ice cream or mac and cheese with dairy.
And they feel terrible afterward, and then they do it again.
I want to lead people that way, you know?
