LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE
story & photos by Erin Daniel
Twisted Roots
Plant-Based/Vegan Allergy-Friendly Baked Goods
Have you ever indulged in a stack of Oreos? Eaten a PB&J for lunch? Snacked on tortilla chips with salsa or guacamole at your favorite Mexican restaurant? If so, it’s safe to say you’ve eaten vegan food, whether you realized it or not! You may have heard a vegan diet jokingly being referred to as “bunny food” and assume one would only eat a strict diet of fruits and veggies to maintain this lifestyle. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth! In some cases, switching to plant-based or vegan options is a necessary diet change due to severe food allergies or intolerances. Vanessa Smyth-Heim, owner and baker at Twisted Roots Bakery, is here to prove to us that allergenfree, animal-free desserts don’t have to taste bland or contain broccoli! Vanessa and her husband, Dave, moved here about ten years ago when Dave’s job brought them to Florence. While raising two daughters and her son, they started to notice the beginning symptoms of food allergies in their family. They began cooking meals that eliminated dairy, gluten, eggs, casein, meat, and other ingredients that were causing adverse reactions. When her son, Cillian, was turning one, she realized he would need a birthday cake and there were no bakeries in the area that would cater to all those needs. Since ordering him a cake was out of the question, Vanessa took matters into her own hands. This is when she began making treats that her whole family could enjoy together without any allergic reactions. This was her starting inspiration for Twisted Roots Bakery!
Vanessa Smyth-Heim
“My main goal is to provide people with plant-based/vegan/allergy-friendly treats from somebody that eats just like them. It matters because there are so many random little things that are animalbased that people don't even realize. People who are plant-based, vegan, or suffer from food allergies, most likely have dissected the label of every product they have ever picked up.” 12
VIPMagSC.com
December 2021
