Meet Dr. Joslin Mar-Dai

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Joslin Mar-Dai a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Joslin, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
Vegans on the Run’s motto is changing the face and taste of vegan food in the community. It is so important to stand alone with your brand, no matter what. Respectability does not save anyone. Thus, I always make sure that I walk into a room authentically. Instead of blending in, we take pride in the fact that we stand out and sometimes stand alone. Often times, people have an image of what veganism looks like and it is hardly ever a Louisiana reared and fed Black woman. However, we loudly and proudly show that every time we are at the table.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
We are a Louisiana vegan, foodie family that wanted to have more options on our plates. Nestled in the piney woods of North Louisiana, there was only one vegan restaurant within 100-mile radius. When we transitioned to vegan 11 years ago, there were such limited food choices that it made it impossible to find convenience after a long day of work. We did not want our community to feel that the journey to a healthier lifestyle was too difficult because they had to cook their own food every day. Vegans on the Run was born from that desire. With no background in culinary arts and no formal training in restaurants, our only experience was our appetites as consumers. We started our business right in my mother’s kitchen experimenting with vegan holiday meals for ourselves and friends; but we knew we couldn’t keep this amazing secret just for ourselves. After reminiscing about the foods we grew up eating at our grandmother’s table, we began creating vegan dishes from our cultural and childhood faves. Since 2020, we have been quickly become apart of our regular customers’ weekly lunch plans, celebrities visiting town, and those wanting a healthier choice with flavor.

To date, the restaurant has provided over 1000 FREE hot and healthy vegan, organic meals to-go for lunch and dinner with priority given to underserved residents, seniors and disabled. This is to expose our neighbors to foods that they may not prepare for themselves on a regular basis. Dr. Joslin has also partnered with Caddo parish schools to provide children’s cooking classes monthly. In addition, Vegans on the Run is a proud supporter and provides frequent donations to Shreveport Mutual Aid, an LGBTQ+ organization that provides food and clothing to local unhoused citizens.

We currently operate in a shared community kitchen. We would love to have our own space. Our next big milestone is to open our own single brick-and-mortar and fully staffed kitchen to be able to serve more customers.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities needed are tenacity, passion, and support. You have to look beyond current circumstances and see the vision. Oftentimes, we get tired when we are working in our passion while maintaining our 9-5 careers too. These three things are so necessary to bear some of the burden that comes along with following your dream. The only way that you can have the strength to persist and persevere is to remember the goal and remember why you started. On days that we have sold two plates, we still persist in the fact that we are offering our city something that no one else can. That passion creates the drive to keep us in our creative space instead of looking at the circumstances. Starting a business with no financial backing, limited resources, and sometimes limited knowledge can create a short-lived dream. However, without support, passion and tenacity you can fail. Support does not always come from the likely sources either. Because we believe in our dream so effortlessly, we have found support in unexpected people like RZA from Wu-Tang Klan by way of the Plant Grant we received in 2022. This pushed us to keep going when our local community did not support us the way we desired.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
The biggest area of growth for me as an entrepreneur was to finally allow myself to hire staff. For years, I had been so afraid to allow others to be a part of my dream. This stemmed from fear of many things concerning branding, passion, and buying into my dream. However, most of my burnout came from trying to juggle and do all of the tasks myself. No mogul can do it alone. There must be a team behind them. Allowing myself to relinquish control of all things was one of the biggest improvements for Vegans on the Run. Sometimes successful businesses fail when they are not prepared for growth.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Mari Jaxn Studios

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